


"The customer is always right."

by IrisofParadise



Category: Daredevil (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crack, Anatoly is 31 and is so done with Vladimir's bull, Clint Natasha and Yelena are all 18 as well, M/M, Matt Foggy Karen and Marci are all 18, Vladimir is 23 and gives no fucks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-15
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-04-20 23:20:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 22,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4806041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrisofParadise/pseuds/IrisofParadise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"No they fucking aren't."<br/>"You're right. Vladimir, kill the customer."<br/>"MATT NO! VLADIMIR NO!"</p>
<p>Or, the AU where everyone works in retail and everyone wonders how Vladimir still has a job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Slightly based off of what happens where I work. Most of this stuff happens at closing though. In case I have only ever worked at a Hobby Lobby, that is where they all work.

"The customer is always right." Matt practically choked on the words as he said them. He didn't have to be blind to know that the other three men were giving him.   
  
There was a pause and then, "No they aren't."   
  
Vladimir and Anatoly nodded in agreement now. Matt tilted his head and made a hum of approval. "Foggy, you're right." The blonde grinned. "Vladimir, kill them." Foggy frowned. "I'll look away if you kill them."   
  
"Matt! You're fucking blind! Comrade wipe that grin away!"   
  
Anatoly groaned. "Don't tell him that, Matthew."   
  
"Yeah, don't encourage the lunatic!"   
  
"He will actually do it."   
  
Matt turned and gave a deadpanned expression. "I know. I'll help him hide the bodies. Kill them please."   
  
Vladimir grinned and picked up the nearest X-acto knife and twirled it slightly. "No take backs! He said I can kill them!" He only managed to take two steps forward when Anatoly and Foggy both managed to grab a hold of him and hold him back.   
  
"Vladimir we don't kill people in America! It's illegal!" Foggy whisper yelled.   
  
Vladimir rolled his eyes. "So?"   
  
Anatoly groaned loudly. "You give me too much stress. Volodya, no."   
  
"Vladimir, da!" Vladimir yelled, attempting to shake his brother and Foggy off of him now.   
  
"Matt! Help!"   
  
The blind man sighed but reached over and grabbed the black phone hanging on the wall and pushed the last button. "Stockman to the frame shop for a code... One moment please." A loud static noise filled the store as he hung the phone up.   
  
"Matt!"   
  
"What code do we use again for this? This is only my third hour here."   
  
Anatoly sighed loudly. "It doesn't matter just call someone. Ask for Sergei."   
  
"Sergei to the frame shop for an emergency. Thank you." Another loud static sound.   
  
The group didn't have to wait very long until the Russian man in question came up and saw Vladimir being held back with an X-acto knife dangling in his grip. The man let out a long suffering sigh. "Really? It's only Saturday and we've only been open for three hours."   
  
"Simpatichnyy mal'chik said I can kill them! He'd help me hide bodies!" Vladimir said loudly, grin wide and borderline on sadistic.   
  
Sergei raised an eyebrow. "Simpatichnyy mal'chik?" He asked Anatoly.   
  
The brunette rolled his eyes and gestured over to Matt. "New guy. Poor bastard is doomed. He works next to Vladimir all day."   
  
Sergei shook his head and gave the young blind man a pity filled gaze. "You poor bastard."   
  
Matt raised an eyebrow. "What? What did he call me?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

Matt would soon learn why everyone called him and Foggy _'Those poor bastards'_.  Vladimir was awful with customers.  
  
The following Monday Matt would be standing beside the counter and listening as Vladimir was practically dying. Anatoly just sighing and mumbling under his breath in Russian. Foggy would just be shaking his head and watching with a pained expression.  
  
"Hahahaha! Your mama told you no!" He laughed out, pointing at the crying little nine year old. "Cry your little tears! Tolya! Matvey! Look at her cry her little bitch ass tears!"  
  
Matt just raised an eyebrow while Anatoly groaned and began to hurriedly apologize to the woman for his brothers behavior. Matt decided that now may be a good time to intervene so he grabbed a hold of Vladimir's elbow, "Vladimir, can we talk?", and dragged him into the frame shop. "Vladimir... You can't just call a kid a bitch. ...to their face."  
  
Vladimir let out a scoff as his laughter began to die down some.  
  
"You're not supposed to call a kid a bitch at all man! Are you _trying_ to get fired?!" Foggy almost yelled from the doorway.  
  
Vladimir just shrugged. "Is not working."  
  
Anatoly stormed into the frame shop and began to shake his brother. "Are you trying to get fired?! You will be fired if you don't stop!"  
  
The blonde just shook his brother off of him. "Believe me, no one wants me fired more than me!" And with that said, the Russian pushed his way out of the frame shop and back to the arts department, all the while whistling loudly.

"How does he still have a job?" Matt asked quietly.

Anatoly just groaned loudly. "Sheer luck and stupidity."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vladimir becomes assistant manager and it's not as much fun as he had thought it would be.

As Matt and Foggy walked into the store they both had to stop and give themselves time to take in what was happening.  
  
Vladimir was yelling and for a moment Matt thought that the man was upset with a customer even though the store wasn't yet open. Then he realized that the man was actually yelling in joy. "I am everyone's boss now! Fuck you!" He pointed to Karen. "Fuck you!" He pointed to Anatoly. The man just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he gave his brother a look. "Fuck you!" He pointed to Foggy, who made an offended noise. "You are sort of cool!" Matt raised an eyebrow as he was poked in the chest. "And fuck you Nobu!" A curse was yelled in what Matt assumed was Japanese. "I am everyones boss!"  
  
"If you are quite finished now Mister Ranskahov, if you will follow Wesley and I we will go over your new job responsibilities." Vladimir frowned but followed the two men, turning to give everyone a smug look as he mouthed 'I am your boss!' one last time.  
  
Once the trio were upstairs Anatoly groaned and covered his face. "Why would they give him this much power?!"  
  
Karen shook her head. "How the hell did he even get a promotion?"  
  
"Maybe he was sleeping with Fisk and Wesley?" Marci said with a shrug. She ignored the glare that Anatoly sent her but took note of the look on Matt's face. It was between disbelief and jealousy and it made her smirk slightly. Foggy frowned as he recognized the look.  
  
A moment later and the PA system came on. "I DID NOT EXPECT ALL OF THIS RESPONSIBILITY SO I QUIT!" And the system shut off.  
  
Fisk and Wesley didn't let him quit. Or give up title as assistant manager. Throughout the day Vladimir did all he could to get fired or demoted.  
  
It was only ten o'clock when he made his first announcement after the loudest crashing noise imaginable.  
  
"Stockman to seasonal. I crashed a buggy into an aisle and killed the Santa statues. Fucking statues."  
  
Anatoly had just facepalmed and let out a loud sigh. "I'm taking my fifteen now. I may or may not come back."

He did end up coming back to work.  
  
By eleven, "I broke the paint aisle! I need a mop here! Get your ass to art Sergei!"  
  
Anatoly had been stopping by the frame shop and had just sat on the floor as Matt and Foggy awkwardly pat him. "There, there. It can't possibly get any wo-"  
  
"Don't you dare finish that sentence Misty!"  
  
"Foggy."  
  
"Fuck off!" And Anatoly had buried his face into his knees with a groan again. "By the end of the week we will be bailing him out of jail!"  
  
Matt had given a scoff. "You have more faith in him than I do. I give him three days. Counting today."  
  
Half past eleven and Vladimir was at the frame shop with a scowl set firmly in place. "I thought I wanted this power but I don't and they won't fire me!"  
  
Matt raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I can't take this anymore! I am about to break a shelf! Shit Fisk won't even demote me!"  
  
"Look on the bright side Vladimir. You get paid more," Matt said trying to make the blonde calm down.  
  
Vladimir groaned. "But I have more responsibility and have to," he gave a choking noise, "be nice," he gagged slightly, "to the customers."  
  
Matt made a face. "Are you actually being nice though?"  
  
Vladimir scoffed. "Fuck no."  
  
It was only fifteen minutes past twelve when Anatoly got a call from Vladimir. "I need you and Matvey to bail me out of jail," the blonde had said before hanging up.  
  
Fifteen minutes later and the blind man and Russian were leaving the jail with Vladimir in tow.  
  
"How?! How did this even happen Volodya?!" Anatoly yelled as the trio walked back to the store.  
  
Vladimir just shrugged.  
  
Matt shook his head. "Vladimir, you weren't even on the clock. What happened?"  
  
"He said words. My fist slipped. Accident and not my fault."  
  
Anatoly groaned while Matt just rolled his eyes. "You can't do that shit Volodya!"  
  
"He said he wasn't a dog person, Tolya!" Vladimir yelled back. "Can you imagine?!"  
  
Matt just rubbed his temples as he felt a headache forming. "You are unbelievable Vladimir. And owe me money for bail."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this instance, I am Vladimir. There was this super pretty girl at my workplace and I just... I decided to flirt by telling her about opossums. Like what even... Why did I do that? She was nice and laughed along and just nodded her head. But I just... why opossums....

Anatoly stopped short as he saw his brother leaning over one of the counters at the frameshop. The blonde was chatting rather loudly, and dare he even say  _ nervously _ , with the blind teenager. Matt was just grinning and nodding along the more the blonde spoke.   
  
"What are they talking about?" Anatoly mumbled to Foggy at the entrance of the shop.   
  
Foggy gave a snort. "Opossums."   
  
"Chto? Repeat that?"   
  
"Opossums. But also possums," Foggy said with a small laugh. "I don't think Vladimir knows the difference between the two. Or what an opossum even is. But it kind of works out well for him because Matt doesn't know either. We don't get many of those in New York."   
  
A glance over and Foggy snickers as Anatoly watches the scene before him with his eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion.   
  
"And they are cute but not! And they just hiss! A lot," Vladimir stated as he leaned against the counter slightly. Matt just tilted his head and nodded along. Vladimir took this as his cue to continue talking.   
  
The other Russian shook his head and leaned closer to Foggy. "He's wrong isn't he?"   
  
Foggy snickered softly again as he gave a quick nod. "A bit, yeah."   
  
"We need to tell him," Anatoly said, his accent just a bit thicker.   
  
The blonde man gave a low groan. "Oh come on! It's pretty great to watch!"   
  
"-and pointy teeth! Their eyes are red and they smell fear an-"   
  
"Okay. You're right. We need to stop him," Foggy said dryly as they listened to Vladimir continue talking to Matt. And so the two made their way over and frowned at Vladimir. The blonde made a 'shooing' motion to them and opened his mouth to continue talking to Matt but was stopped by Foggy.   
  
"Vladimir," Foggy crossed his arms over his chest, "do you even know what an opossum is?"   
  
Vladimir frowned and wrinkled his nose a bit in distaste. "Mean cat thing. With rat tail and it hisses a lot."   
  
Anatoly glanced over to Foggy who just gave a shrug and, "Well he's almost not wrong."   
  
Matt meanwhile frowned and, "That sounds fake. But okay. I'm just going to get back to work now."

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt, Foggy, Marci, and Karen have the day off. Damn it Matt, Vladimir doesn't want to deal with your sass today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't been updating any of my fics lately, some stuff has happened in life and it sort of just sucks a lot. I do have the next chapter for this fic written and almost half of the next chapter for Your Love Is My New Religion & I Love You Too Much so hopefully I'll be able to update tonight or tomorrow. I hope. *fingers crossed*

It's Saturday afternoon and honestly, Matt is surprised that he, Foggy, Karen, and Marci all have the day off together. But instead of being normal college students and hanging out somewhere else, they are all at Hobby Lobby.  
  
Matt is pushing Karen who is sitting in a buggy while Foggy pushes Marci and the two young men are trying to out run the other. Whoever thought it was a good idea for the blind person to steer the buggy though should be fired. He and Karen had almost knocked over multiple shelves and tables. How they were even allowed to do this, they weren't going to ask.  
  
They've made it to the art aisles and Karen is still laughing and saying, "Do it for the vine!"  
  
Until Vladimir comes from the corner and glares at them. Foggy and Matt, who can just feel the cold glare being given to them, immediately stop moving and Karen and Marci give loud 'oof' sounds as they fall back slightly in the buggies.  
  
"Fuckers don't you dare or you are all fired!" The Russian yelled out, ignoring as customers gave him odd or appalled looks before running off.  
  
The blind teenager gave him the puppy eyes, slightly thankful that one of the blondes had stolen his glasses from him because he knew most people couldn't resist his puppy dog stare. "Even me?" He asked in a quiet tone with a pout.  
  
Vladimir ignored the way his heart almost felt like it skipped a beat and just gave a yell of, "Especially you!"  
  
Matt frowned and huffed. Then gave a grin and stuck his hand out to knock whatever was on the shelf off. A bottle of paint fell and he heard it spill onto the floor. "Oops," he said with a wince. The plan had just been to knock something over, not have paint spill all over the floor and make the Russian that much madder.  
  
There was a moment of silence and Foggy was sure that said Russian was about to kill his best friend. Marci meanwhile was glancing between the brunette and the blonde with a knowing look on her face.  
  
The blonde man felt his eye twitch as he stared at the bright red paint all over the floor. Then suddenly Vladimir let out a loud laugh and, "Ha! Guess what just came out of your next paycheck!"  
  
"Damn it!" Matt muttered under his breath, frown in place and arms crossed in what could only be described as a pout. Vladimir refused to think it was cute.  
  
But it was.  
  
Karen rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that you can't do that."  
  
"I am pretty sure that I can! Because I am your boss! I love being manager!"  
  
Marci huffed. "Assistant manager."  
  
"Still your boss bitch!" Vladimir yelled back before walking away, leaving the four college students to deal with the paint mess.  
  
"Matt, I'm going to kill your boyfriend," Marci said darkly.  
  
She raised an eyebrow as Matt flushed slightly and sputtered before finally giving a yell of, "Not my boyfriend!"


	6. Chapter 6

It's Saturday afternoon. A nice, breezy fall day. And Foggy and Matt are almost one hundred percent positive that when Vladimir gets back from his lunch break, he's going to flip out and kill the small three year old that has somehow gotten away from her parents and is painting the tiled floor a mix of reds and blues.

"Matt..."

"I know."

"No... Matt..."

"Foggy, I know. Do something," Matt whispered back.

Foggy gulped audibly and took a step towards the little girl. "Hey, kiddo. Whatchyah doing?"

She looked at him and gave a happy grin. "Chto?"

Foggy turned to give Matt a look of pure and utter despair. "Matt, I don't think she speaks English!"

"Chto? That's Russian? Right?" Matt asked, head tilted in confusion. The word did sound familiar.

Foggy just gave a shrug at the same that the child squirt more paint onto the floor and sang out, "Da!"

Matt just pointed and nodded. "I know that's Russian."

The blonde gave him a dry look but didn't comment. "Call Anatoly or Sergei?"

Matt gave a nod and made his way back to the frameshop with a, "Calling Anatoly and or Sergei," thrown over his shoulder.

"Anatoly and Sergei to the frameshop please! Anatoly and Sergei to framing! Thanks!"

The small child continued to hum to herself and paint the floor with her hands, ignoring as paint got into her hair and onto her face and clothes.

Foggy shook his head and gave a low whistle. "Man, Vladimir is going to flip when he sees this mess. And her mom is going to flip when she sees her messy child."

The blind teenager just shook his head and turned as he heard footsteps coming towards them.

A gasp and a chuckle then, "Vladimir to art. Vladimir to art."

Foggy and Matt turned to the frameshop entrance with appalled looks, eyes wide and jaws dropped. "Anatoly why..." Matt breathed out in shock that Anatoly would do such a thing.

Foggy on the other hand was just holding his head and muttering, "Oh my God. Oh my God. This child is about to die. What have we done?"

Anatoly and Sergei shared an amused look as they leaned against the counters and watched the scene play out before them. Vladimir and a young woman with dark brown hair looked at the child before turning to give Sergei and Anatoly unamused looks.

"Brat'ya why?" Vladimir asked with a frown as he pointed at the child.

The woman just made a face as she looked at the child. "Sergei, she's disgusting."

"Maybe you should watch your child closely next time, cousin," Sergei said cheekily.

"Papa!" The child yells out gleefully before reaching up for Vladimir to pick her up.

Vladimir grins but it quickly turns into a frown as he takes in the mess. "Uh, how about nyet. You made a mess, Vasya. Tanya, how do you keep letting her do this?"

"She just runs off! You try catching the three year old when she decides she wants to go run away!"

Vladimir rolled his eyes.

"You uh... You have a kid?" Matt asked, then mentally kicked himself.

Anatoly watched in amusement as Vladimir shifted in spot uncomfortably. "Uh, da. I now know which condoms to not buy."

"You didn't wear one."

Vladimir scoffed. "We were drunk! You didn't seem to care, Tatyana!"

She just gave a noncommittal shrug and raised an eyebrow at Matt. " _Who's he?_ "

" _Volodya's new boyfriend_ ," Anatoly said, grinning as Vladimir turned to glare at him.

" _Not my boyfriend_!"

The woman just laughed. " _You like him! How cute!"_

Vladimir groaned but didn't deny it.

"I feel like I'm being talked about," Matf said softly to Foggy, not really expecting anyone to hear him.

"Because they are talking about you!" The child sang out with a giggle. "Papa thi-"

"Okay! I take you to my house now an clean paint out of your hair, da?!" Vladimir yelled, almost hysterically, before picking her up and carrying her away. He ignored as his brother and the others laughed at him.

Foggy pat Matt on the shoulder. "Man, I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"He's got a kid. That probably makes him less attractive right?"

Matt didn't say anything, just rubbed the back of his neck. Tatyana and Anatoly rolled their eyes knowingly.

"Right Matt?"

"Well... Actually, it sort of makes him a bit more attractive? He's apparently good with kids!"

Foggy groaned. "Matty, he once called a kid a bitch!"

"It was one time!"

" _He's going to be my brother in law someday. I know it,_ " Anatoly said as he leaned slightly closer to the Russian woman.

Tatyana nodded. " _Wanna bet on how soon?_ "

Anatoly rubbed at his chin in thought for a moment before nodding. " _Why not._ "

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natasha and Yelena are now working with Karen and Marci. Yelena may or may not become friends with Vladimir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trash. Yelena is my fave. I'm sorry I'm not sorry.

"Now, as a cashier, we're responsible for making sure that no one tries to steal from the store," Karen explained to the two young Russian women.  
  
Natasha Romanov and Yelena Belova were just hired the previous day and today was their first day on registers.  
  
"When you think someone is stealing, tackle them in the parking lot."  
  
Marci nodded along until this point, then she fave Karen's arm a smack. "Karen! Don't tell them that!"  
  
"Ugh fine," Karen huffed back with a pout.  
  
Yelena just nodded solemnly. "I will tackle them."  
  
Marci rolled her eyes. "Yelena no."  
  
"And stab them."  
  
"Yelena! No!" Marci yelled out, ignoring as a few customers and other co-workers gave them weird looks.  
  
Natasha just shook her head as Yelena raised an eyebrow at the other two blondes.  
  
Karen gave a grin and said brightly, "You know, I think she'd get along swimmingly with Vladimir."

Vladimir meanwhile was near the frameshop pricing markers quickly and looked around in confusion. "I feel like someone is talking about me."

Matt waved his hand dismissively. "I'm sure it's nothing. Need help?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Clint works with Matt now and the duo get thrown into a dumpster.

"Mister Murdock it has come to my attention that you are ah..." Wilson Fisk trailed off as he made a small wave of the hand, as if he hoped Matt would catch on and not give him a hard time.   
  
Matt just raised an eyebrow and placed the frame that was in his hands onto the table. "Yes?"   
  
Ah. So it was that type of day. "Well... You're blind."   
  
"No way," Matt retorted dryly. "Foggy! I'm blind!"

Yep. Definitely that type of day.  
  
A snort sound from the counter outside of the frameshop and then, "No shit! What gave you that idea?"  
  
Matt turned to Fisk's direction and just gave a simple, yet still dry, "No idea."  
  
"Okay you've made your point, now let me make mine." Once again Fisk trailed off as he seemed to gather his thoughts. By this time Foggy had made his way back into the frameshop. "You are blind and working in framing."  
  
"Yep," Matt said, popping the 'p'.  
  
"And there is a lot you have to do for framing that involves seeing."  
  
"I've been doing just fine for the past two months."  
  
Fisk pursed his lips and gave a reluctant nod. "It's just-"  
  
"You can't fire him for being blind!" Foggy interrupted with a scowl. "Tha-"  
  
Fisk rolled his eyes. "I know you two are going to school for law degrees, you don't need to bring the law into this because I'm not firing Mister Murdock."  
  
"Good!" Foggy grinned. "Well we're just gonna get back to work now. So if you don't mind," the blonde made a shooing motion with his hand.  
  
The bald man just frowned and sighed. "I'm hiring someone to work with you, Mister Murdock. Mister Nelson can't always be here to make sure that everything is measured correctly and the colors of the mats match the art and frame. Your new co-worker starts tomorrow." He ignored the glares from the younger men and turned to leave.  
  
"I'm sure that's illegal," Foggy said as Matt sighed and frowned.  
  
The blind teenager just shook his head. "I'm sure it is but I don't really care. I like the money."  
  


  
~oOo~   
  


  
"So you're the new guy?" Matt asked the following morning as he heard someone come up behind him.   
  
"Huh? Did you say something?"   
  
Matt turned and frowned. "Yes?"   
  
"Sorry man, I'm deaf. My hearing aids broke a few days ago. Got thrown into a trashcan. I'm Clint by the way." Clint held his hand out but slowly took his hand back as Matt took his glasses off and rubbed at the bridge of his nose.   
  
"Is this a joke?"   
  
The blonde frowned. "No?"   
  
"How the hell am I supposed to train you? I'm blind and you're deaf!" Matt yelled out.   
  
Clint shrugged but let out a quiet laugh.   
  
"You think this is funny?!"   
  
Clint waved his hand and made a face. "A bit. I mean think about it. Some serious blind leading the deaf going on here. Also, I can be the eyes and you can be the ears in this relationship!"   
  
Matt just let out a scoff like laugh mixed with a groan.   
  


  
~oOo~   
  


  
The duo decided to go next door to the sandwich place for lunch and Matt decides that he should be thankful that they at least got to finish eating said lunch before they're thrown into a dumpster by some Russians in tacky tracksuits.   
  
"Ha! Suck on that, bro!"   
  
"Hope you like the trash, bro!"   
  
"Good one, bro!"   
  
The Russians laugh as they walk away, leaving Matt and Clint in the dumpster behind the sandwich place. Matt thinks to himself, 'Well at least it can't get any worse.' He gags as the smell of day old ham and cheese and other assorted foods assault his sense of smell.   
  
Clint laughs and nudges his shoulder, accidentally sending him back a bit. "Hey Murdock, we're bonding!"   
  
"Ugh please shut up," Matt throws back, gagging again as he feels gooey cheese between his fingers.   
  
The blonde begins to climb out of the dumpster with a, "Sorry bro, didn't hear that. What'd you say?"   
  
"Ugh! I hate my life."

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt is once again encouraging Vladimir to kill customers. Anatoly and Foggy do not approve of his sass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this instance I am Vladimir to a degree. I work in the frameshop and the assistant manager works in arts but he was at the registers for most of the night so I was in charge of arts. And I get asked what is a copic marker. So I have to call him back to the frameshop and he tells me and leaves. I tell the customer and then "No no no! How do I make a copic marker?! I want you to make it for me!"   
> Uhhhhh... How about you just buy the damn marker instead of making my Saturday awful? Thanks?

It's not even one o'clock yet, but it is very close, and Matt is just now getting to the counters right in front of the entrance to the frameshop when he hears the Russian accented voice of the assistant manager one aisle over yelling, "Do I look like I know where the glitter paint is?!"  
  
And Matt really can't help the choked laughter that escapes him as he walks into the frameshop. Foggy looks up and raises an eyebrow. "Judging from your dopey lovestruck-"  
  
"So not lovestruck," Matt interupts with an eyeroll.  
  
"-grin, and the yelling outside, I'm guessing Vladimir is yelling at a customer again."  
  
Matt gives him a thumbs up. "You would be correct."  
  
As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Vladimir is giving a grumble of, "Need to borrow your phone," and hiting the page button and snapping out, "Anatoly to frameshop. Anatoly to frameshop!" He ignores the looks Matt and Foggy give him and taps impatiently on the desk.  
  
A minute later and Anatoly arrives, an arrangement of pink and yellow flowers in hand. "Chto?"  
  
"The fuck is a copic marker?" Vladimir asks in curiosity.  
  
Foggy and Anatoly share a quick look before Anatoly takes a deep breath, probably to calm himself more than anything, before hissing out, "Vladimir that is your department! Mine is floral! How would I know?! You should know!  
  
The blonde just makes a face and shrugs. "But I don't." He wrinkles his nose as he looks at the flower arrangement. "That is ugly. Ow!" He scowls as he rubs at his shoulder that Anatoly had just smacked with the flowers.  
  
"Does not matter! Customer liked them! Now back to your marker problem!" Anatoly snapped back.  
  
"Did you try to google it?" Foggy asked in a helpful tone. He frowned though as Vladimir just glared at him. "Just trying to help man."  
  
"You are not helping. Customer wants to know what a copic marker is made of. I know what it is, but not how to make it!" Vladimir said with a huff and an eyeroll.  
  
Matt just scoffed. "Hate difficult customers. Just kill them."  
  
Vladimir gave a grin and Anatoly just groaned loudly. "Matvey please don't tell him that."  
  
"Yeah, Matt! Don't encourage the psycho!" Foggy said with an eyeroll. He pointed and gave Vladimir a stern look. "I see you staring at our X-acto knives, comrade. Don't even think about it."  
  
"Too late."  
  
"Volodya please stop," Anatoly said with another groan.  
  
"Volodya please do," Matt said simply. He couldn't see the way Vladimir looked at him in slight surprise.  
  
Anatoly rolled his eyes at the two but didn't say anything except for a hissed out, "Matvey, nyet!"  
  
The blind teenager rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm just kidding Anatoly."  
  
"Good! Vladimir, get back out there and explain to customer you don't know how to make copic markers. I am going back to my department now. Do not call for me again!" And with that, Anatoly was muttering under his breath and leaving the frameshop.  
  
It's quiet for a just a few more moments until Matt breaks the silence with a quiet, "I'm kind of not kidding..."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A difficult customer and Anatoly may just let Vladimir (and Yelena) finally kill a customer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually a real customer. She actually grabbed my best friend, who works at the registers, and told her this. My bestie thought that she was about to die.

It's pure chance that Vladimir walks by the floral department and hears a woman yelling at his brother. And pure luck that Anatoly doesn't see him glaring daggers at her as she continues to scream. 

"Well why don't you check the back?! I need more of these roses! Don't you understand?!"

"Yes ma'am, but we don't carry more things in back, we have our truck day Thursday. That's when we get our new shipment," Anatoly explains with a frown.  

The woman just continues to yell at him. "Ugh! Why can't you just go look?!"

"Because, ma'am, we do not have more in back," Anatoly says, forcing a smile, his voice is strained.

"I want to speak to the manager!"

Vladimir grinned sadistically and took a step forward. Anatoly glanced over and paled ever so slightly. "No, no! That's fine! I check back for you. No need for manager," the brunette pleaded before rushing over to Vladimir and forcibly dragging him to the warehouse. The woman grinned, pleased that she had gotten her way.

She didn't realize that Anatoly had saved her from Vladimir yelling at her. 

" _Oh come on Tolik! She was giving you a hard time!_ " Vladimir said with a glare towards the floral section of the store. 

Anatoly just sighed and shook his head. " _She's not worth losing your job over. I am going on an early lunch."_

An hour and a half later and it's nearly five o'clock, just three more hours until closing. And it's, once again, pure chance that Vladimir is near the frameshop when that very same woman is there. This time she's yelling at a very distressed looking Matt and Clint. 

"I don't care! I need ten of these frames! Today! I can't wait until Thursday!" She yells as she thrusts the frame into Matt's chest. 

Matt frowns and gingerly takes the frame from her. "I'm sorry, but if we don't have it out, we don't have it in stock. We'll get more in Thursday. That's the best we can do."

She huffs and snatches the frame back. "Well why don't you order more if you sell out so quickly?!"

Clint shakes his head. "We're not allowed to order over our basic, ma'am. We have more of these frames," he picks up another black frame that looks nearly identical to the frame she's holding, "if you're interested?"

She rolls her eyes and glares. "No, I don't want that frame! I need this one!"

"I'm sorry bu-" Matt starts but is quickly interrupted by her giving another loud complaint.

"Maybe I'll just take my business elsewhere in case you obviously don't want it!" She yells, tossing the frame onto the counter.

Matt winces at the sound of breaking glass. Clint just sighs as she walks away. 

Vladimir finally decides to walk over to the teenagers. "I can kick her out. It won't be a bother," he hisses out, accent thicker in agitation as he watches her retreating figure. 

Matt just shakes his head. "I think it's fine. She was just difficult."

The Russian frowns worriedly at the look on Matt's face, he looks like he's almost ready to cry from frustration, but nods and slowly makes his way back to arts. 

It's half past seven and Vladimir had been called to the front to help check customers out. And it must be a sign from God that the very same women who had yelled at his brother and Matt is the first person in his line. 

He twitches as she points at everything that he picks up. "Oh that was on sale. Don't forget. That was on sale too. Wrap that before bagging it. And that was on sale! That was fifty percent off!"

Finally after sixteen whole minutes he's done and he expects for her to leave. But he twitches again as she hands him a hundred dollar bill. He places her change onto the counter. 

A moment and she taps on his arm. "Chto?" He almost spits out as he forces a grin. 

She glares at him and takes his hand. He twitches. She either doesn't notice or doesn't give a care. "If I put change into your hand, I expect for you to place it back into mine. Understood?"

Karen's mouth drops open as she over hears this. Marci drops a glass jar in shock. 

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" He asks, eyes wide in surprise, his accent thicker as his agitation skyrockets. 

She glares and huffs at him. "You heard me."

"Look here you bitch-"

"Excuse me! I want to speak to the manager right now!" She yells out.

Marci and Karen let out giggles. Yelena and Natasha smirked. A few other employees that had been walking by stopped and stared at the scene in amusement. 

Vladimir just smirked. "Bitch, I am the manager! Now get out of the store! You have problem with it, do not come back! Do svidaniya!" He waved her out of the store and then turned to Marci. "Make the announcements."

"But we still have six more minutes?" Her statement sounded more like a question. 

He just gave her a look. "Do I look like I care? Make. The. Announcements."

The blonde gave a small salute before grabbing the phone and hitting the page button. "Attention Hobby Lobby shoppers the time is now seven forty-five and we will be closing in just fifteen minutes."

Vladimir gave a pleased nod. "Make them every three minutes. I want everyone out of this store in fifteen." He turns and glares at anyone who looks like they may say something. "Isn't there re-shop that needs to be done?!"

"On it!" Karen yelps as she quickly closes her register and runs to a buggy. 

Anatoly, who Vladimir hadn't noticed, had made his way out of floral to stand by Vladimir's register. "This is the one time that I tell you murdering customer is okay. Da?"

Yelena stopped pushing a buggy of re-shop in front of Vladimir and gave a simple, "I will help."

"Deal. Grab an X-acto knife. Where are the announcements?!"

Meanwhile, Matt gave a confused look as he felt his watch. It was only seven forty-six, why were the announcements saying it was five till eight?


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vasilisa gets glitter on Matt and gets to play with the tape gun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do this to my god daughter. So of course I had to have Matt do this to Vasilisa at least once. Also, bumpons for anyone who may be curious, are just little clear bubble like sticker thingies (i cant explain worth shit im sorry) that go on the back of frames to keep them from hitting the wall.

Matt raised an eyebrow as he felt someone pull on his pants leg. "Yes?"  
  
"I got a new Elsa dress today!" A little girl says happily, still holding onto Matt's leg.  
  
He grins at her confusedly. "That's cool!"  
  
The child bursts into giggles. "Cool. 'Cause Elsa's the snow queen! You're funny, Matvey!"  
  
"How do you- do I know you?" Matt asks, still smiling but now more confused. Her voice was familiar sounding but honestly, he heard so many children every day that after a while the voices just blended together.  
  
She nods. "My papa works here in the paints. My name is Vasilisa! Like the princess!"  
  
Now Matt gives a real smile to her. "I remember you now. You painted the floor. Foggy said it wasn't very fun to clean up."  
  
Vasilisa just giggles. "That's funny! Can I sit on the counter while you work?"  
  
"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Matt says as he puts paper on the back of a frame.  
  
"I promise to not ding the bell bunches!"  
  
"Deal." And so he picks her up, accidentally gets glitter from her dress all over him, and sits her on the counter right next to where he is working.  
  
She hums as she watched him but quickly grows bored. "What's this?" She pushes the tape gun to Matt's hands.  
  
"The double sided tape gun."  
  
"I want some."  
  
Matt just chuckles and shakes his head. "Not sure that's a good idea."  
  
Vasilisa gave a pout but didn't argue, just began to hum a tune that Matt instantly recognized as For The First In Forever. She must notice the confused look he gives her because suddenly she's explaining, "My papa doesn't like it when I sing Let It Go for hours. So I'm banned from singing it until two today!"  
  
Matt chokes on a laugh. "Really? Is Elsa your favorite?" It wouldn't really shock him actually; Elsa is everyone's favorite.  
  
But instead the little girl shakes her head. "Nyet, Tiana is my favorite! Then Belle. I just like to sing Frozen songs 'cause it makes Papa make funny faces."  
  
Matt grins as she continues to babble in a mix of English and Russian about her favorite princesses. Neither notices as Vladimir and Anatoly stand at the frameshop doorway. But Amatoly does take notice of the way his brother is almost borderline swooning at how well Matt is with the little girl.  
  
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!" She yelps out with a giggle as Matt sticks a bumpon onto her nose. He just grins and sticks another one onto her forehead. "Matvey!"  
  
The brunette teen just grins again. "Sorry, Vasilisa. I couldn't help it."  
  
"Can I play with the tape gun now?" The child asks.  
  
Matt frowns, doesn't see as Vladimir frowns at her question, but slowly shakes his head. Vladimir lets out a sigh of relief. He knows his child would probably more than likely make a huge mess with a tape gun. But Matt picks her up and places her on the ground. "I really shouldn't let you play with it," she gives a pout, "but," he hands her the gun, "I'm going to trust that you don't run off while I go put this picture away. Behave," and then he is making his way back into the frameshop while Vasilisa takes off running down the arts section with a loud squeal like laugh.  
  
Matt can't help but to snicker to himself as he hears Vladimir let out a yell and take off running after his daughter.  
  
"That was mean," Anatoly said with a grin as Matt walked past him.  
  
"Maybe. But it was very amusing."


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt tries to train Scott Summers. It's not going well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a new girl in the frameshop with me and she seriously asked me this question. Scott is one of my least favorite characters (I'm sorry he's just always bugged me, I'm awful I know) and so I decided to use him as the new girl in the frameshop that I'm having to train.

"I think this is ridiculous," Foggy says simply to Wesley with a scowl on his normally grinning face. 

Wesley just gives a small smirk then a quiet but firm, "Possibly. But if it's a chance to piss of Vladimir, I'm taking it."

Foggy gives a nod as if to say, ' _Yeah, I get that,'_  but what he says is, "But does Scott have to work back here?"

"Honestly I'm just sick and tired of seeing his face every time I walk into the store so I have to move him from the registers back here because unlike Vladimir, I don't live back here," Wesley says with an eye roll. 

Again, Foggy gives a nod. Then a simple, "Vladimir will kill him."

"Good. Not my problem. Good day Mr. Nelson."

 

~oOo~

 

Two days later and Matt was put in charge of training Scott Summers. And he did not like it at all. The blind teenager is currently going over how to properly close the frameshop. Doesn't think it can get too confusing. It's simple really. So he hands the slightly older teenager the broom with a, "Okay, you sweep off the mats and I'm going to straighten up the frames."

Scott looks at the broom then the floor and taps on Matt's shoulder to get his attention. "How do I do this?"

"Uh..." Matt blinked and tilted his head. "What?"

"Sweeping. How do I do it?" Scott repeats, holding the broom out to Matt. 

Matt rubs the back of his neck before making a face and saying as calmly as possible, "You- I... Just... With a broom preferably? But you can use a mop if you _really_ want to. You got this," Matt says with a forced grin and two thumbs up. "I'm going to just be right back." He doesn't wait for Scott to give an okay, he just turns and moves quickly to the warehouse. 

Once in the back he lets out a loud scream of pure and utter frustration and annoyance. All day Scott had had an attitude. With him and anyone else who happened to walk by. And all day Scott had asked stupid questions. So really, it wasn't Matt's fault that he was now screaming at the top of his lungs in the warehouse of the building. 

But finally Matt stopped and took a deep calming breath. "Okay! I'm good! I'm calm! I'm grace!" A pause as he took a deep breath. Then a yell of, "I'm gonna punch Scott in the face! Oh my shit!" He then turns and stomps his way back to the frameshop. 

He never notices a very surprised Vladimir standing next to a stack of boxes with a confused expression on his face. "The fuck is Scott?"

It's not until the blonde finds Matt hiding in the arts section an hour later that he learns who Scott is. Matt is holding onto Vladimir's biceps and shaking the Russian slightly. He doesn't see the small blush painting the Vladimir's cheeks. "Vladimir, oh my word, I am about to flip the fuck out and lose my fucking religion!" Matt hisses out breathlessly. "You have to do something! Please, for the love of all that is holy,  _please_  get him out of the frameshop!"

"Uh..." Vladimir trails off as Matt seems to get closer to his face the more frantic he is becoming. 

Until, "Hey Matt! Where'd you go, man?!" And Matt is grimacing and shoving Vladimir away from him with a hissed out, "I was never fucking here!" And then Matt is taking off at a run down the aisles.

For a moment, Vladimir just stands with a can of spray paint in his hands and stares into space. Then slowly he gives a nod. "I do not know who this Scott is, but I am going to kill a man."

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jessica Jones and Claire Temple are hired as seasonal help. Claire needs a raise for nursing Trash Squad at least once a week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt and Foggy totally smoked weed during college. Fight me.  
> Jessica would so drink at work.  
> Yelena and Natasha are part of Trash Squad because they both got thrown into/slept in a dumpster once.

Jessica Jones was one of the newest employee to be hired for seasonal help. She worked as a stockman and it surprised everyone with how strong she was. It definetely made truck day easier because while it would take Sergei and Piotr working together to lift some boxes, she would just come over and pick up four equally as heavy boxes and unload them from the truck.  
  
It was always entertaining for anyone around when a stockman was called and Jessica would appear carrying the heavy box that was needed. More often than was probably necessary customers would tut and shake their heads before saying, "How could they have such a cute girl lifting such heavy things?!"  
  
Jessica would just force a grin and carey the heavy box with little to no effort to wherever it needed to go. As a worker, she was great. She did her job. Came in on time for the most part. Was usually polite to customers which was getting harder to come by in this store.  
  
Her only major downside that Wesley really didn't like was that she tried to get drunk while at work. And not just try, sometimes she'd succeed if he didn't find her and stop her in time. She was also a bad influence on Matt and Foggy, Wesley thought as he smelled the scent of pot lingering around them on more than one occassion.  
  
Really, they were just smoking because finals were coming up and smoking was easier than trying to see a doctor about their horrible anxiety.  
  
So it was a much bigger surprise than it should have been to Wesley when he entered the stockroom just in time to see Jessica pull out a flask and take a long drink from it. "Is that alcohol?! Are you drunk?!" He yelled out, storming over and snatching it from her.  
  
Jessica glared at him as she snatched the flask back. "Yeah. I'm trying be drunk but you're killing my buzz!"  
  
Wesley took a deep breath, rubbed at his temples, then reached over for the phone and made an announcement. "Manager to the wearhouse. Manager to the wearhouse. Thank you." He shook his head in distaste as the black haired young woman just took another chug from her flask.  
  
Fisk made his way to the wearhouse but as he was about to pass the frameshop he stopped and frowned at Matt. "Are you high, Mister Myrdock?!" He didn't notice the look of surprise that Vladimir gave him from the art aisles.  
  
"Yeah, but you're killing it man."  
  
Vladimir dropped the canvases he was holding in his shock that Matt would actually talk back like that. Fisk scowled.  
  
"Come with me to the wearhouse and then we're going to the office," Fisk ground out in aggravation.  
  
Matt just shrugged. "Can do."  
  
When they made it to the wearhouse Fisk scowled at Jessica, who was once again taking a rather long drink from her flask. "Is she drunk?!"  
  
Before Wesley could answer she was scoffing. "Your little bitch friend over there is killing my buzz."  
  
"What a dick," Matt said, shaking his head in disappointment.  
  
"Right?!" Jessica yelled back, waving over to the two scowling managers.  
  
Fisk scowled at them both. "Aren't you eighteen? Underage for drinking, Miss Jones?"  
  
"Aren't you supposed to be working?" She shot back, taking a deliberate drink from her flask.  
  
Matt made an 'ooh' sound. "Burned, Fisk."  
  
The teenagers high-fived each other, pushed their way past the managers, and left to go back to their respective jobs.  
  
Wesley groaned. "Why do we have them hired? We can fire them."  
  
Fisk just shook his head. "They're damn good at their jobs. I like that."  
  
Claire Temple was another seasonal employee. She was put into arts and crafts and worked alongside Vladimir for the most part.  
  
She hated him. His attitude. His customer service skills. His constant running off to flirt with Matt. And even though he would say it wasn't flirting, it was totally flirting.  
  
And though she was going to school to become a nurse, she really didn't think the best place to practice her nursing skills was at Hobby Lobby on five of her co-workers.  
  
Currently she was in the breakroom helping ice and bandage Clint, Matt, Jessica, Yelena, and Natasha. Who she fishes out of the dumpster behind the store.  
  
"I swear, how you five all managed to get thrown into the same dumpster," she winced in sympathy as she pulled a rather sharp piece of glass from Matt's arm and he groaned, "I will never know. Still having trouble with those - put the ice on the wound Yelena - weird other Russians of yours Clint?"  
  
"I don't wanna talk about it," came his muffled response. He didn't even lift his head from the table.  
  
Claire shook her head. "How you five are still alive will always shock me."  
  
"You always save us, Claire," Jessica said dryly as she accepted the box of bandaids from the other young woman.  
  
Claire scoffed.  
  
Matt gave her a grin. "Yeah, you're like our own personal super hero, Claire."  
  
"Shut up Matt," Claire sighed out, unable to keep the amused smile from her face. "Natasha can I trust you to watch these four and yourself? My fifteen is up."  
  
"Not at all but I can do my best."  
  
"Fair enough. Later guys. Don't stop breathing."


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karen begins to think that cursing at children and murder maybe should be legal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This actually happened to my bestie at work. And she seriously "Is it wrong to call a child a bitch?"  
> Me "No. Just not to their face. We've been over this before."

Karen liked her job. Even though it made her want to kill people. But she figured that was just retail. And she wanted children one day. But this job was making her seriously have doubts. Especially right now.  
  
Currently a woman was holding a baby while her screaming two year old sat in the buggy and yelled at the top of her lungs.  
  
"I want the toy!" The blonde child yelled, banging her hands on the buggy and kicking her legs dangerously close to kicking her mother. The mom seemed to not notice.  
  
Karen gave the mother a sympathetic smile.  
  
The mother just sighed. "If you get the toy then you don't get to have the candy," she tried to negotiate.  
  
The child just screamed and kicked her legs. "NO! I WANT BOTH!" She began to cry large crocodile tears.  
  
Karen felt her heart go out to the woman. She pitied her. And thought her slightly brave for going out into public. And stupid.  
  
"Well you can't have both. So be quiet so mommy can finish paying and you can have your candy when we get to the car." 

Karen mentally gave her a thumbs up for sticking to her answer of no but also thought that the woman should take the offer of candy off of the table as well.  
  
"BUT I WANT MY CANDY NOW!"  
  
By this point other customers along with all three of the managers were all staring at Karen and the woman and the screaming child. The blonde cashier wondered if it was wrong to offer to beat the woman's child for her but just gave a small sympathetic smile as she accepted the cash from the woman.  
  
"Can I have my candy now?!" The two year old wailed out, kicking her legs angrily.  
  
The woman just groaned and looked ready to cry. So Karen gave a tiny smile to the child and said softly, "Your mommy said you can have it when you get to the car."  
  
She was not expecting for the two year old to turn and give her a glare. Or for her to yell out, "I WAS NOT TALKING TO YOU! I WAS TALKING TO MOMMY!"  
  
Karen's mouth dropped open in surprise. Then she turned to the woman who looked ready to burst into tears. "Have a nice day, ma'am," Karen said in a forced light tone. She watched them leave with a look that clearly stated 'That's right you better fucking leave.'  
  
Marci gave a low whistle, shaking her head, as she watched them leave. "Some people need to just beat their children."  
  
Natasha and Yelena nodded their heads, clearly appalled with the child's behavior.  
  
"Do you know what would have happened to me back in Russia?" Yelena began.  
  
Natasha pursed her lips. "If your parents were anything like mine you would have been thrown into the snow and locked outside. In your pajamas. Which were shorts and a shirt."  
  
Yelena nodded again. "Exactly that."  
  
Karen just shook her head. "Is it wrong to call a child a bitch?"  
  
Vladimir huffed out a laugh from behind her. "Nyet. Just not to their face."  
  
Wesley nodded in agreement. "We don't judge you Karen. We're all thinking it." Fisk gave a small nod.  
  
"I'm going on break," Karen stated before turning to walk out of the building.  
  
She just barely heard Vladimir say, "The day Vasilisa throws a fit like that is the day I drown my child."  
  
Marci smacked him. "That is so wrong to say!"  
  
"I think your parenting style is genius," Yelena said before high fiving Vladimir.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nobu works in the candle department.  
> Natasha runs away from her responsibilities.  
> Matt has never had a lava lamp and Vladimir is personally offended.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never had a lava lamp and salasaur on tumblr (follow them they are a fave of mine and I love them!) was personally offended <3

"What do you mean you've never had a lava lamp before?!" Vladimir yelled out in surprise to Matt.

Clint just gave them a confused look.  

The blind teenager just shrugged. "Just... Never had one."

Clint's surprised expression soon turned into confusion as he smelled something. It was a burning smell. For a moment he wondered if it was Scott fucking up the drymount machine again but a look back into the frameshop and he was satisfied to see that it wasn't Scott burning something. 

Another sniff to the air and his brows furrowed. "What the hell is burning?" 

Natasha popped her head out from behind one of the frame ailes. "Oh that would be Nobu. He keeps accidentally setting himself on fire in the candle department."

Clint made a hum as he processed this information. Then turned to her in confusion. "Are you actually doing re-shop?"

The redhead just shrugged as she pushed the buggy along, Clint following after her like she knew he would. "Sometimes I get bored with working at the registers. I'm hiding but pretending to do re-shop."

The blonde just nodded in understanding. Running from responsibilities was a hobby of his sometimes. 

"Natalia to your register! Natalia to your register!" Yelena's slightly accented voice yelled over the com before there was a god awful clanking sound as she hung up. 

Clint just raised an eyebrow as Natasha ignored the message. "You gonna go back up front?"

"Fuck that. Yelena is just jealous that I took over re-shop duties and she has to deal with customers all on her own," Natasha said with an eye roll. "I'm going to go put arts away. Later, Clint." She waved before walking away.

As she moved down the art aisles she couldn't help but to over hear as Vladimir continued to mutter under his breath about "Never had a lava lamp! Cannot believe this!"

" _Why don't you just get him one yourself,_ " she stated in quiet Russian as she placed some tubes of paint back in their correct spots. " _You know we sell them, right?"_

It was silent for a moment. And then the blonde man was running to the correct aisle. Natasha just rolled her eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Matt almost dies and Vladimir is mildly concerned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sad part is, this seriously happened to me seven weeks ago. I'm not even joking. I still fucking have a bruise on my hip and who the hell falls off of a ladder and into the trashcan? Me apparently.  
> Also, I'll have more later. It's just late for me and I'm probably going to go to bed.

Matt decided it was just not his day. It had been one mishap after another all day, so once he was at work, he had hoped that maybe his day would get better. And it seemed to be. Vladimir was standing at the frameshop counter pricing markers and had said hello rather happily. Or as happy as he ever sounded. 

But once he entered the frameshop he had to resist the urge to groan rather loudly and roll his eyes because Scott's voice was just so fucking annoying to listen to. So he gives a quick, "I'm going to the bathroom. Be back in just a sec Foggy," and leaves the frameshop.

It was an accident that Vladimir left the box blocking the counter at the frameshop. He really hadn't thought anything of it. The box was out of the way from customers and normally no one walked between the space that was the second counter and the wall. 

But Matt does. He's making his way quickly to rush past, cane left propped in the frameshop since he knows his way around this part of the store by heart, and trips over the box. He goes flying through the air with a yelp and hits the shelf that the poster boards are propped on with a loud audible thumping noise. He then falls off of that and smacks face first into the floor.

Vladimir looks up and raises an eyebrow as all he sees is one of Matt's legs in the air. He slowly moves from the front counter to look over the back counter and can't help the amused sound from escaping his mouth as he sees the teenager lying on the floor. "Matvey?"

Matt just lets out a groan that turns into a hiccup as he rolls onto his back, glasses sitting askew on his face. It takes a moment but then he's letting out a whine noise that turns into a loud laugh.

Instantly, the blonde looses his grin and moves to kneel down in worry beside the laughing teenager. "Matvey? Matthew!" He yells out in concern as the teenager just shakes his head and doesn't make a move to get off of the floor.

Matt just continues shaking his head and laughing, tears in the corners of his eyes. "I'm fine! I'm fine!" He laughs out as Foggy comes around the corner, concern etched into his face as he stares down at his laughing friend.

"What the hell happened to you? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine! I'm great! Just great!" Matt laughs out. It's not very convincing. At all. And only worried the two blondes looking down at him that much more.

Foggy just shook his head. "Should you maybe go fill out an accident report? It would suck if you had a concussion before our test tomorrow." He turns to look at Vladimir who is still crouched down beside Matt's head. "You witnessed him falling right? So he can fill out an accident report?"

Vladimir just scoffed and didn't even look at Foggy, instead choosing to keep staring at the still laughing teenager. "Nyet. I witnessed his foot in the air."

As Vladimir helps Matt stand rather shakily, Matt can't help but think, ' _ The day cannot possibly get any worse.' _

When Matt lets Vladimir help him make his way up to Fisk’s office to fill out the accident report he just lets out a heavy sigh as the large man states slowly, “I’m sorry, Mister Murdock, I’ll be right back,” and then he leaves and all Matt hears is loud laughing from outside of the office. 

Vladimir pats him awkwardly on the shoulder and continues to help fill out the report. “Any injuries?”

“I’m pretty sure my right ankle is bruised. My left knee is unusually sore. My right hip is killing me. My right ribs are probably stabbing me in the lungs. My left elbow feels like it may also be bruised. And my right hand. And my head. I feel like I should be seeing stars,” Matt states dryly, cheeks a light pink as he lists off his injuries. 

He lets Vladimir tug his shirt up so that the Russian can see the huge bruise already forming on Matt’s hip. “That looks like it will hurt like a bitch tomorrow,” Vladimir says, giving a low whistle as he lets the shirt fall back into place. Matt just scoffs and rubs his elbow.

An hour later he's standing on a ladder and hanging one of the custom frames and leans over too much to the right. His foot slips and he's flailing and letting out a yell of terror as he falls backwards into the trashcan that had scrap mats in it. As he sits in the trashcan he leans his head back and takes a calming breath. ' _ At least I still have my dignity. _ '

Vladimir raised his head as he heard a loud crash come from the frameshop. The accompanied scream did nothing but worry him even more so he did what any logical person would do. He went to go check on the boy he was crushing on. And had to stop short as he saw Matt sitting in the huge trashcan with a frame in his lap.

"Matvey?"

When Matt just leans his head back again and groans Vladimir is even more confused. "Just... Fuck my life. Fuck this day. Fuck me!"

" _ Maybe later. I prefer to be taken out first before we get to the fucking but whatever you want," _ Vladimir says, slipping into his native tongue in amusement as he begins to pull the trash can back to where he knows it's supposed to actually go.

"What?" Matt asks, brows furrowed in confusion at the foreign words.

Vladimir just shakes his head, smirking slightly. "Why are you in trash?"

"Because apparently I'm garbage!" Matt snapped back, cradling the small frame to his chest with a light flush on his cheeks. "Can you help me get out of the trashcan please?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt flips out and Vladimir ditches everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt is basically me internally back in November and December when I was working 10 hour shifts every night. Pay check was the best. Sleep and school though? What's that?  
> Also, I just got in the top 5 of the district for selling the most last week as #1 and with almost 300% upsales so I am quite proud of myself and just 'go me! go me!'. Ignore me.

As holidays inched closer, Fisk became more and more nit picky about how clean the store had to be before he allowed employees to leave. And if that meant that all of the closers had to stay until midnight instead of nine, then so be it. And normally, Matt would love the extra four hours but considering he had finals in three weeks and was either constantly at school or work, that didn’t give him much free time to study, let alone actually have a life or sleep.

So after only three weeks Matt was about ready to flip out. And he did when Fisk and Wesley both came up behind him and the bald man sighed out, “You missed a whole row of photo frames, Matthew.”

Matt felt his eye twitch and the frame in his hands fell to the floor with a loud cracking noise as both the frame and glass broke. “It’s almost midnight! Can we leave yet?!” He ground out as Clint sighed and moved to sweep up the broken frame.

“Not until we have seasonal cleaned,” Wesley said simply, trying to force away a yawn. “Vladimir! You and Yelena re-stock the wrapping paper!” He ignored as Yelena flipped him off and didn’t even twitch as Vladimir just gave a shout back of, “Blow me!” Just rolled his eyes and snapped back, “Get your little boyfriend here to do that.”

Everyone froze and snapped their attention to Wesley and Matt. Wesley had closed his eyes and just mouthed to himself ‘Why did I just do that?’ While Matt glared harshly in his general direction.

“You know what! You can fuck a sandpapery toaster! And let us leave! Some of us have school! And some of us have to be here at seven o’clock tomorrow! We don’t get any sleep if you keep us here past twelve in the god damned morning!” Matt yelled out, face red and scowl set in place as he glared harshly from behind his red tinted glasses.

It was dead silent as everyone stared wide eyed in a mixture of shock and fear at the normally collected teenager. Karen covered her mouth, not even realizing as her buggy that she’d been pushing crashed into a shelf.

The silence was broken as Clint let out a breathless, “Oh my god. Holy shit. Matt just said ‘god damn’ guys…”

Vladimir slowly nodded, mouth dropped in surprise before he was giving a low mutter in Russian, stating slowly, “ _That_ _was probably the most amazing and wonderful thing I have ever seen and heard and I have seen him bend over to pick stuff off of the floor. Ow!_ ” The blonde barely even flinched as Anatoly punched him in the arm with a mildly disgusted look on his face.

A moment passed and Fisk was slowly nodding in agreement. “Very well. You may leave early since you look two seconds away from blowing this building up. Would anyone mind walking Mister Murdock here out?”

No one else gets a chance to even register the words before Vladimir is shoving the wreaths into Anatoly’s chest and yelling, “Me! I will do it! I volunteer!”

Wesley just scoffs as Vladimir begins to lead the sleep deprived teenager towards the time clock. “You aren’t leaving! Managers leave last!”

Vladimir just waves a hand dismissively, doesn’t even turn to face the dark haired man.

“Ranskahov! You’re not leaving! You’re coming back into this building!” Wesley yells out.

A few minutes later and both Vladimir and Matt are walking out of the building, Clint locking the door behind them with an amused eye roll.

Wesley scowls at the Russian’s departing figure. “He’s not coming back.” Fisk just shakes his head and mouths, ‘Nope’.

Anatoly narrowed his eyes as he watched Vladimir drive away with Matt falling asleep in the passenger side of the car. “Bitch, he better be! He is my ride home!”

 

~oOo~ 

  
Half an hour later and Vladimir is still not answering his phone, too busy sleeping on the couch in his brother’s and his shared apartment. Anatoly pockets his phone and prepares to walk when Wesley gives a sigh of, “I can give you a ride.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Matt is the worst babysitter to ever babysit and Vasilisa is a little bully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matt is me babysitting my goddaughter. Because I give no shits.   
> Meanwhile at some points Vasilisa is me when I was a child. I was such a bully to my uncle. I was a terror.

To be honest, Matt wasn’t sure what had possessed him to offer to babysit Vasilisa Friday night while Vladimir and Anatoly worked. He had heard the two men talking about finding a babysitter since Tatyana was also working late and it was Vladimir’s weekend with the three year old and had said simply “I’ll watch her if you want,” before using the tape gun on the back of the frame.

Both men had turned to him and given him odd looks before Anatoly snickered and said softly, “You will keep eye on her?”

Matt had promptly frozen in spot with the paper right above the frame before scoffing and giving an eye roll. “Oh yes. Ha ha. You’re so funny. Do you want me to babysit, yes or no?”

“Da!” Vladimir hurriedly agreed.

The elder Russian frowned. “I am not sure.” Both Vladimir and Matt gave him a look; Vladimir frowning and mouthing ‘Why?’ While Matt just had an eyebrow raised. “She is uh… Handful? Da? You must have better things to do on a Friday night than to babysit a three year old.”

Slowly Matt nodded and Vladimir’s face fell. “Yeah… Not a damn thing. I’m in college with a job. I have no life. What time do you want me to babysit her?”

Vladimir practically beamed. “We work two to close! I give you address or pick you up?”

“I’ll take the address and be there,” Matt said simply, hiding his own grin as he finished cutting the excess paper off. Anatoly rolled his eyes in amusement as he noticed both his brother and Matt grinning.

And now Matt was in Vladimir’s and Anatoly’s apartment sitting on their couch while Vasilisa sat on the floor and stared at him. He knew she was staring because he could practically feel it.

“So…” The teenager trailed off. “What do you want to do?”

“Kill people.”

Matt frowned before sighing. “Sometimes, same. But maybe not today. Besides that though?”

“Uh…” The child made a humming noise before shrugging. “I don’t know. I’m three.” She gave a tiny pause but before Matt could think of a response she was speaking up again. “What’s in your bag?”

“My school stuff.”

“What’s school?”

“Hell,” Matt answered without thinking. “Don’t tell your papa or uncle I said that.”

Vasilisa hummed for a moment then grinned brightly. “Maybe if you give me candy I won’t!”

The auburn haired teenager raised an eyebrow in amusement. “Are you telling me to bribe you?”

“Da!” Came the sang out response from the toddler on the floor.

“Wow. This is a cruel world where a three year old can blackmail someone. And succeed,” Matt sighed out. “Unfortunately I have no candy with me-”

“Aw!”

“-but your papa and uncle may have something? Right?”

Vasilisa just shrugged, grabbed hold of his hand, and began to lead him to the kitchen. “They have ice cream! I love ice cream!”

“I bet you do,” Matt laughed out as he let himself be sat down at the small table. He raised an eyebrow as he heard a chair being pushed across the tiled floor. “Do you want help?”

He just barely heard, “No,” over the sound of the chair being pushed and frowned. “You sure?”

“Maybe,” came the slightly clearer response as the chair bumped into the fridge. There was the sound of the freezer being opened and the little girl humming happily. “We got chocolate! Want some Matvey?"

Matt grinned. “Sure.”

The freezer is shut and Vasilisa slowly climbs down from her chair. She leaves the carton of ice cream on the floor and shoves the chair over to the counter so that she can reach into the drawer with the spoons. Then climbs onto the counter to get the container of sprinkles. She hops off of the chair with her hands and carefully makes her way to pick up the ice cream, then very slowly walks back to the table. 

Matt helps take the ice cream and spoons from the three year old and places it all onto the table before he’s lifting the three year old and sitting her at the chair next to him. “So no bowls?” He asks, opening the container and handing a spoon to Vasilisa.

“Nyet. Is better tasting out of carton!” Comes the happy response. Vasilisa digs her spoon into the half empty container. She hums in delight as the chocolate melts in her mouth. “Is good! But needs sprinkles. Do you like sprinkles?”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Uncle Tolya!” Vasilisa says as she’s popping the lid off of the sprinkles. 

“What a loser.”

“I know!” Vasilisa answered back loudly. “Oops,” she said as every sprinkle fell from the tube. 

Matt wasn’t expecting for her to dump the whole small tube of sprinkles into the ice cream. “Well now we’re going to be in trouble,” he says, digging his own spoon into the ice cream and sprinkles.

Vasilisa wrinkles her nose at the thought. “Then we have to eat it all, Matvey! Before Papa and Uncle Tolya get home!” She begins to shove more ice cream into her mouth, still humming happily at the sweet taste.

Matt frowns. “That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Really?” Comes the muffled response as Vasilisa still has a mouth full of ice cream and sprinkles.

The teenager nods. “Terrible idea.” He repeats slowly. “Let’s do it.”

“Yay!”

“Any whipped cream?”

An hour later and they’re both laying on the living room floor holding their stomachs, the tub of ice cream empty but for their spoons, a few melted bites of chocolate, some melting whipped cream, and the last of the sprinkles.

“That was the worst idea. Why did we do that?” Matt groaned out.

The three year old just groaned in response. “Was good idea at time.”

Matt snapped his fingers and gave her a thumbs up. “Truth. Where is the lie?”

Another hour and Vasilisa is wanting to show Matt every room in the apartment, starting with her Uncle Anatoly’s room. Matt lets her lead and describe everything.

“And Uncle Tolya’s bed is big!” The three year old says, spreading her arms as if to emphasize for Matt how big Anatoly’s bed is. “But Papa’s is better! Cause it’s soft!”

“Oh?”

“Da!” And then she’s once more carefully leading him across the hall to Vladimir’s room. “And this is Papa’s room!” She drags him to the bed and begins to climb into it, Matt lifting her when he hears her fall. “He hates it when I jump on his bed cause it messes the blankets up but is so fun!” She laughs out, jumping on the bed in glee.

Matt just raises an eyebrow at her and can’t hide his own grin. “Maybe you shouldn’t do that then?”

“Or maybe you should jump too!”

The teenager just laughs. “Well who can fight with that logic?” He asks before joining Vasilisa and slowly jumping in spot as the three year old bounces everywhere on the bed.

The last room she leads him to after fifteen minutes of making Vladimir’s bed a trampoline is her room. “Papa got me a play register set! He said he’s going to make me work at his work!” Vasilisa explains as she gets the fake grocery toys out and sets up her play register from Toys R Us.

“That’s so wrong,” Matt laughs out, taking the fake fruits and vegetables from the three year old. He sets most of them down beside him on the carpeted floor.

Vasilisa just beams at him. “I am going to work at Hobby Lobby when I grow up. Hand me your groceries so I can ring you up?”

“Oh honey, no. That’s a terrible idea,” Matt says, handing her the only thing he’s still holding; a plastic banana.

The toddler fake keys it in and nods. “That will be two thousand dollars, please,” she says holding her hand out, palm up, waiting for the money.

“That is even more wrong!” Matt says loudly, eyes wide from behind his glasses. “Where’s the fake money?”

Vasilisa wrinkles her nose at him. “Do not be cheap, Matvey!”

“Excuse me?” The auburn haired teenager splutters.

“I have a business to run! How do you expect me to  _ make _ money if you won’t  _ give _ me money?” She says, wagging her finger at him in disappointment.

Matt sits in stunned silence for a moment but slowly reaches for his wallet, half hoping she’s joking but knowing she’s not. “I think I have a twenty?” He says as he holds up the folded twenty.

It’s quickly snatched from him. “Spasiba! We thank you for your business! Please don’t come back if you’re going to be cheap! Next!”

As she begins to yell at imaginary customers in a mix of Russian and English Matt sits in silence, muttering under his breath, “A three year old just took my lunch money.”

It’s closer to midnight than anyone cares for when Vladimir and Anatoly finally walk into the apartment. They stop short as they see Matt sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, chin resting on his knees, and glasses sitting on top of the coffee table.

“Matvey?” Vladimir asks, slightly concerned for why the teenager looks like he’s been through hell.

Matt slowly licks his lips as he thinks how best to tell the Russian about his day. He finally settles with, “I think your child is the spawn of Al-Qaeda.”

The blonde tilts his head in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“Maybe ISIS. Maybe both! Who knows? Who the fuck even knows…” Matt trails off. “Your daughter took my lunch money.”

Anatoly bursts out laughing and has to excuse himself to the kitchen. Where he spots the ice cream and mess. “ _ Fucking seriously _ ?” He mutters in his native tongue as he cleans the mess away. He listens in on Matt and Vladimir as the teenager talks about how the child took his money.

Vladimir almost has to excuse himself as well from how hard he’s laughing. “Ah, how did you get her to sleep?”

The teenager just scoffed. “I read to her from my textbook. I figure it bores me to tears it may bore her to sleep. It worked.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am Matt and the bestie is Foggy. Inspired by some conversation we had yesterday about something or another.

The Monday following Matt’s hectic babysitting night, Vladimir figures he’ll make it up to the teenager for his daughter stealing his lunch money and buy the college student lunch for the rest of the week. It may or may not be an excuse to eat lunch with him since he could very easily just give Matt a twenty back.

He stops short though as he hears Matt and Foggy both talking.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if we didn’t work together but we do and I don’t want that,” he hears Matt say before there’s the sound of paper being torn.

“But we sleep together and we work together so what’s the difference?”Comes Foggy’s simple reply.

Vladimir frowns in confusion, not liking how the conversation is sounding but deciding he’ll continue listening in anyway.

“I love you,” Matt states simply, handing the bumpon stickers to his friend.

The response makes the Russian bite back a scowl but he stands his ground and continues hiding behind the paint aisle.

Foggy takes the offered bumpons and hands Matt a Hobby Lobby sticker for his own frame. “This side up,” he says as he hands Matt the sticker. “I think you just don’t like her.”

Vladimir raises an eyebrow. ‘ _ Her _ ?’

Matt huffs. “I thought it was obvious I don’t like Karen?” Vladimir almost falls over in surprise. “But she’s been flirting a lot lately. And I can’t exactly avoid her because we work in the same store.”

Foggy just laughed and before he can retort, Vladimir decides to make himself known and interrupt them. “Matvey!”

Matt grins but doesn’t raise his face from the counter. “Hey, Vladimir. What’s up?”

“In case my little hellion child took your money-”

“Why did she take your money? How did she take your money?” Foggy interrupted, staring at Matt in amusement as his friend just huffed out, “Don’t want to talk about it. Continue Vladimir.”

The Russian narrowed his eyes at the blonde but then turned back to Matt. “Da, I take you to lunch since Vasya took your lunch money?”

“Oh.” Matt blinked in surprise, hoping his face wasn’t a bright red, then slowly nodded. “Yeah, that’d be awesome. I’m starving actually. Want to go to the place next door? I’ll place the order and we can go?”

Vladimir nodded in agreement, caught the slightly disappointed look from Foggy, and quickly said, “Da! I want potato.”

“What do you want on it?” Matt asked, bagging the frame he was now finished working on.

“Potato stuff.” Vladimir ignored as Foggy choked on a smothered laugh.

Matt just made a face. “I’ll get you a potato with cheese and ham.”

An hour later and Vladimir is standing in front of Karen’s register with a very disgruntled look on his face.

“Yes?” Karen asks in confusion as Vladimir glared down at her.

The Russian narrowed his eyes slightly before spitting out, “You are flirting with Matvey.” When the blonde teenager just gave him a bright grin and laughed his glare fell slightly. “What is so funny?”

Karen leans forward, as if preparing to tell him a secret, and whispers, “We all have a bet on when you’re going to grow up and finally ask him out. I’m betting that my flirting makes you jealous and ask him out in a month. So ask him out before December and I’ll make it up to you with lunch from next door.”

For a moment Vladimir is too surprised to say anything before finally settling on sputtering out, “What the fuck kind of bet is this?”

“An amusing one,” comes a voice from behind Vladimir. The blonde turns and scowls at Piotr. Who just waves. “Hi boss. Someone call for a stockman?”

Karen points over to Natasha’s register. “Nat.”

Piotr nods at Karen and turns to make his way to Natasha then decides to say almost disinterestedly, “I’m betting you won’t ask him out until after December.” He walks away, smirking as Karen laughs at Vladimir’s scowling expression.


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which some things of retail you just can't make up if you tried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This happened to my bestie a few weeks ago. The things you deal with in customer service.

It’s relatively early in the day and the sun is shining brightly and Karen wishes she were outside to enjoy the weather. Currently, she is the only cashier at work because it’s so early and the only customers that she’s seen are a few old women that make her want to run herself over because they love to argue with her about what is and is not on sale when they finally decide they’re done shopping.

So she stands at her register, debates on whether or not she’ll do her homework tonight. Probably not, it’s Saturday. She’s pulled from her thoughts as a man comes to her register and places two crosses down. Karen just offers him a false warm grin and “Good morning!” as she begins to check his things out.

He just gives a grunt in reply.

“ _ Same _ ,” she thinks to herself as she prints out his receipt. She wishes she were back in her and Marci’s shared dorm room, sleeping like the other blonde currently was.

It’s not until she’s wrapping then bagging his things that he leans really close to her and states clearly so that she can hear him, “I used to be a big time drug dealer.”

She freezes in spot, bag held tightly in her hand. “Oh?” She squeaks out.

He nods. “I ruined a lot of lives. But now I only deal for the lord,” he says, taking the bag from her and gesturing to the two crosses.

“So you drug deal for Jesus? Or you deal drugs to Jesus?” She asks before she can bite her tongue. She half expects for him to shoot her right then but he just stares at her.

Then gives a slow nod. “I only deal for the lord,” he repeats clearly. Then he’s walking away and out of the store.

Karen waits a moment but then looks around to see if anyone else had just seen or heard any of this. “Anyone? No? Damn!” A glance up to the camera above her and she just shakes her head at it. "I hate my job."


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More or less just a little nod to another fic of mine, "Gettin Hot n' Steam......but not really" where Anatoly and Wesley slept together once. Really I just wanted an excuse for Vladimir to be a drama queen and Matt amused.

It’s a Tuesday evening and Vladimir looks as though he has literally been dragged through hell and crawled right back out when he walks into the store. His hair is a mess and he looks as though he hasn’t slept in days, though really it’s just been a night. Slowly he makes his way to the frameshop, thankful beyond belief that Matt is working again and obviously closing as he is the only one there and it’s nearly five.

“Matvey,” the teenager just gives a hum in answer and continues to clean a piece of glass, “I saw something terrible last night that I wish I could unsee last.”

Matt just makes a face. “Huh. I wish I knew what that was like,” he says before turning his attention back to the frame in front of him.

Vladimir just scowls at him, completely unamused with the teenagers sass. “Now is no time for your jokes, Matthew!”

The use of his full name made the teenager stop and raise his face so that he was looking up at Vladimir’s general direction. “Hey, you okay man?”

“Nyet! I am not ‘okay’! I am terrible! You know how we leave early last night?”

Matt nodded. “Thanks for that by the way. I got some homework done on time.”

Vladimir waved the thanks away. “Is no problem. But I come home and go o moy brat’ya’s room and he was having sex!”

“Oh no. How terrible. I wish I was getting laid…” Matt’s mumble trailed off and Vladimir seemed to not even notice his mumbling in favor of continuing with his panicked hushed yells of, “But not just with anyone! It was Wesley! And I do not know who was topping when I walked in, but they are both limping today and I cannot even look at him! I am disowning him as my brother! I am now an only child!"

“Don’t you think you’re maybe overreacting a bit?” Matt asked, failing to keep the amusement from his voice.

“I am under reacting, mudak!” The Russian snapped back. Matt held his hands up in surrender. “What am I going to tell Vasya?! Her uncle is now dead to me!”

Matt snorted. “I think that you are completely overreacting.”

"I do not think you reacting enough!”


	22. Chapter 22

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Vladimir is still debating on when to ask Matt out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually hate how long these stupid aprons are and have debated on whether to copy a co-worker who used to work in the frameshop and he staples his apron so is shorter. I thought would make a cute short chapter while I was working so boom. I also use my pockets for snacks when I can get away with it because I'm a terrible person.

“I need to borrow your stapler,” was all Matt heard before Vladimir was rushing past him to look for said stapler. There was the sound of the stapler being used multiple times along with Vladimir cursing under his breath when some of the staples didn’t go all the way through the fabric in his hands.

Matt raised an eyebrow and leaned against the counter in the frameshop, broom propped up next to him. “What are you doing?”

“Stapling my apron-smock-thing so is not long. Hate when it goes to my knees,” comes the grunted reply as Vladimir attempts to staple the fabric once more.

For a moment Matt didn’t say anything, just continued to stand in puzzlement. “Apron?”

“Da. Hobby Lobby framer apron. Was a bitch to find and I do not think I got the blood stains out,” Vladimir didn’t notice as Matt’s expression fell into weariness instead of curiosity, he just continued talking, “but I found the little bitch and now have to make it shorter.”

“Ah? Why do you have a framer apron exactly?”

“Used to work back here.”

This is news to Matt and he can’t quite hide his surprise, though he doesn’t try hard. No one had ever said that Vladimir had worked in the frame department and the Russian had never really let on that he knew how to do the framing jobs. “Oh?”

The Russian just nodded and continued his struggling. “Da. Hated it so much. I prefer art section,” Vladimir scoffed and tossed the stapler covered in tape back under the desk, “I cut myself too much back here. Do not know how you deal with it. Especially since you fall in trash-”

“We don’t talk about that,” Matt interrupts, cheeks a light pink.

The Russian just smirks and ties his apron back on. “Anyway, I like this,” he gestures to the very worn in apron, “Has pockets and I hide snacks in them.” He pats one of the pockets and sure enough Matt hears the sound of a packaging being messed with. “Can now eat while I work.”

“That’s against store policy I’m sure,” the teenager quips, smirking as Vladimir just scoffs. There’s the sound of packaging being opened. Matt frowns in puzzlement as his wrist is grabbed and a cookie is pressed into his now open hand. “Oh. Thanks.”

Vladimir just hums. “As if I care about store policy. Fuck store policy.” He nods in approval as Matt nibbles on the tiny chocolate chip cookie. The teenager was far too thin in his opinion and he couldn’t help but want to feed the American.

“So why do you make your apron shorter exactly?”

“I just hate it long. Looks like dress on me. Not really my tastes,” Vladimir shrugs as he stashes his snack back into his pocket, hiding it behind a few pens.

Matt frowned at him, brushing the crumbs from his hands onto his own apron that is almost reaching his knees. “Does mine look bad on me?”

“Nyet. Not at all, Matvey,” Vladimir answers back without even hesitating.

The teenager just nodded slowly. “How do I look?”

“Pretty.”

Both stood in a slightly awkward silence, Vladimir cursing himself internally for not even thinking, just saying that. Matt meanwhile thought Vladimir probably didn’t mean it and was probably just messing with him, so he forced out a small laugh.

“Well!” Vladimir shouted. “I have actual work in art so I am just going to,” he pointed over to the art section and nodded to himself. “Da. You close tonight?”

“I usually do.”

“Good. Me too. Dasvidaniya!”

Matt just waved and picked the broom back up.


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which I am Matt in this chapter and this happened in November.

When you work retail for a long amount of time, or any amount of time, things become meaningless and you begin to care even less and less about people and their problems than usual. Usually. But Matt usually had to act interested in customers. It was how you sold custom frames.

But the lady talking to him and Clint wasn’t interested in a frame, she just wanted to complain about her husband. Five minutes of hearing her complain, Clint had subtly reached towards his ears and taken his hearing aids off, stashing the bright purple aids into his pocket while continuing to nod along slowly when the woman gave him an expectant look.

“And if I find him near the model cars I’m going to be so mad! I may hang him! He’s always buying model cars!” The woman continued, seemingly not noticing the uninterested looks the teenagers were giving her.

“Well, our model car kits are further down in hobbies if you wanted to check there for him but our hanging kits may be in crafts if we have any in stock,” Matt said slowly, a smirk growing on the corners of his mouth.

She nodded enthusiastically. “Oh. Well thank you.” And with that said she strolled away towards hobbies in search of the model cars. She didn’t even really register that Matt had mentioned hanging kits. Which was probably a good thing.

The next employee she runs into she immediately begins telling him the same story that she’d told Matt and Clint. But Vladimir wasn’t as nice as the teenagers and quickly scoffed out, “Ma’am, I do not care if your husband has a problem with collecting cars. Is funny. Because it pisses you off. Model cars are further down in hobbies so please go. Tell the cashier if you must.” He ignored her completely appalled expression and went back to organizing the canvas aisle.

Unknown to him, one of the other seasonal employees had seen and heard everything. And she quickly stomped over to him, staring down at him in complete disapproval.

“Chto?”

Claire narrowed her eyes slightly. More because she just didn't like Vladimir than actually being upset with his response to the woman. “That was rude.”

“And I care? Do I look like I give a shit?” Vladimir just snapped back, not even looking up from what he was doing. When she didn’t say anything he just sighed. “What do you want?”

“I hope you’re fired.”

The Russian just shrugged and began to walk towards the frameshop. “That makes you, me, and everyone else. But no one wants me gone as much as I do.”

Claire followed after him, still glaring in a mix of annoyance and disapproval at the blonde. “That is not how you customer service.”

Both leaned against one of the counters in the frameshop, careful to not move any of the things Matt and Clint were working with. Clint didn’t even notice them as he still had his hearing aids in his pocket and was staring at the computer screen, typing in measurements for the mat cutter. While Matt stood at the back tossing glass, glass that Clint had put into a pile for him to throw away, into the trash can.

“And?” Vladimir asked, waving his hand as if for her to continue.

At the same time Matt scoffed and tossed a piece of glass into the silver trash can. “Fuck customer service.”

Claire just shot him a small glare. “You are not helping, Matthew.”

“Sorry, Claire.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Anatoly has had enough of people and Vladimir, Yelena, and Matt encourage him to murder. Foggy is tired of all of these crazy ass Russians.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Where I work, we named our dumpster compact garbage thing Gertrude. Thus, they named theirs Gertrude as well because I couldn't think of anything else to name it. Ta-da!  
> Also, the closer it gets to Eurovision the more I listen to past Eurovision songs and make up headcanons. I'm so sorry.

"Let me go!"

“Anatoly! Please calm down!” Sergei said loudly, holding onto Anatoly as the other man tried his hardest to break out of his hold.

“Just let me go!” Anatoly yelled back, glaring daggers at a woman all the way down in floral. He held a few fake roses in his hand and looked five seconds away from murder.

Piotr shook his head and used his full body weight to drag Anatoly back from the entrance of the frameshop. “I think it be best if you don’t kill anyone maybe!”

As Sergei and Piotr tried their hardest to hold Anatoly back, Vladimir and Yelena grinned widely at him, eyes narrowed at the customer that they could still see. Everyone completely ignored Foggy and Matt who were still attempting to work around them.

“You know you want to, moy brat’ya!” Vladimir encouraged, grinning widely as Anatoly tried to jump over Sergei but was held back by Piotr.

Yelena nodded in agreement. “The flowers are already red. You can stab a bitch!”

“Stab them! Do the thing Tolik!” Vladimir said loudly, cheering as Anatoly began cursing at Sergei and Piotr.

“Make them bleed and cry!” Yelena grinned as she watched Piotr get smacked in the face with the rose arrangement.

It was at this time that Foggy finally looked up at the five Russians. He shook his head in exasperation. “Why am I still working here? All of these crazy ass Russians!”

At the same time Matt said, “Oh come on, guys. It’d be hilarious. Let Anatoly at least cut her! And if he does manage to actually kill her I’ll even help you hide the body.”

Foggy gasped, neither noticing as Vladimir gave Matt an almost adoring look. “Matthew!”

“What?”

“You have been hanging around these creepy Russians too much, Matty!” Foggy shook his head in disappointment. “Where would you even hide a body Matt?”

“Gertrude,” Matt said, pointing in the direction of the warehouse.

Foggy gave him an appalled look. “We are not putting a body in the work dumpster!”

Matt scoffed. “You aren’t. I am. Kill them Anatoly.”

“I am fucking trying! Let me the fuck go! Sergei! Piotr!” Anatoly yelled, kicking out. He gave a small smirk as Piotr let out a hiss of pain.

Sergei gave a sigh and lifted Anatoly, throwing the thinner man over his shoulder. “We are going to warehouse. Hide the X-acto knives in case he gets free,” he said as he left the frameshop, Anatoly’s flowers dropping to the floor as they went.

Everyone ignored his curses that he spit out in angry Russian.

Vladimir shook his head in disappointment at Sergei. “What a kill joy.”

Yelena nodded in agreement, a small sigh escaping her. “Bastards,” she muttered before leaving to finish putting away re-shop.

“Why are there so many Russians anyway? Everywhere I go Russian!” Foggy muttered, moving quickly to place things back in their correct spots.

“ I don't know. I kind of like it though,” Matt said almost grinning as he thinks about Vladimir always coming into the frameshop and talking to him. He pushes the thought away sheepishly as he remembers that Vladimir is still in the frameshop.

Vladimir just snorted out a small laugh but otherwise didn’t comment, choosing instead to eat some of the chips he has stored in his pocket. 

“I am sure that you really fucking do, Matty!” Foggy almost snapped out, seeing the small blush dusting his best friends cheeks. He rolled his eyes and turned. And bumped straight into Sergei. “Oh come on! For the love of all that is holy and good-” The college student yelled, hands thrown up in exasperation. “Seriously?! Why?!” Before pushing past Sergei and leaving the frameshop.

Sergei frowned, watching as Foggy left, before turning to his snickering boss and Matt. “What did I do?”

Matt just laughed, shaking his head. “Nothing. Foggy is just being Foggy. What’s up?”

“Anatoly dropped the flowers. Says he can’t go back to floral without them.”

Vladimir nodded in understanding, tossing the flowers over to Sergei. “What did customer even do to him?”

“She kicked a box of his things over. He isn’t done with unloading floral from the truck and he is being called to register so was behind. Piotr is going with him to floral to make sure he doesn’t kill anyone.” Vladimir nodded in understanding. “We would send you but we know better than that,” Sergei continued dryly.

The blonde Russian just nodded. “That is fair.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a walking human disaster at work. And have shot myself and other people with the staple gun before.   
> Also, since kastle hit me like a brick to the face, that is going to happen in this fic soon. I'm sorry.   
> ALSO! The chick who I based Scott off of, she quit last week! Which is why my work load got a thousand times more difficult and such. But! Now I have to replace Scott in this au.

As Matt tried to locate where he had dropped his cane the lady at the counter rang the small bell once more, foot tapping in annoyance. But once Matt was finally walking out of the frameshop, cane in hand and glasses covering his eyes she immediately froze, her eyes going wide and mouth dropping open in surprise.

“Sorry,” Matt forced a grin, “I dropped my cane. What can I help you with?” When she still said nothing Matt thought that she had left and his smile slowly fell. “Hello?”

“I’m sorry…” The woman trails off. Slowly she coughs as if to clear her throat. “Are you blind?”

Matt nodded. Even though it annoyed him slightly he was used to the question. And he could understand why someone would be confused as to how a blind man was working in framing.

“And they have you in framing?” At Matt’s nod she let out a disappointed sigh. “I’m sorry, it’s nothing against you. I just don’t understand why they would have you where you could get hurt. There must be somewhere else that you could work!”

The teenager shuffled in spot slightly, unsure how to go about answering her. “Uh… Well I mean, it’s not difficult? I can cut glass. And the backing. And I do the paper and hanger. And we have braille labels on everything for me.”

The woman just purses her lips. “You should be in school! Where you can get a better job than this!”

“I am?” Matt states, though it sounds more like a question than the firm response he was going for. This, like people pointing out his blindness, is not new. He’s had customers yell at him and talk down on him for working. Until he tells them that he is in college and taking more than the recommended classes while working at least twenty hours per week. Then he’s told by customers that he shouldn’t be working while in school to which he always forces a laugh and tells them ‘Well how else will I afford college?’

She just shakes her head and gives him a pitying look. “I’ll just go somewhere else. I don’t want you hurting yourself.” She doesn’t even pay attention to his gasp or, “Uhm I can do this job fine? Ma’am? Hello?”

He waits until he’s sure she’s gone before slowly walking back into the frameshop and goes about his business and tries to shove her from his mind. She’s not important and she is most definitely not the only one with this opinion. But it still bothers him.

He thinks nothing of it when he hears Marci’s voice over the PA system calling for a manager. Or how three minutes after that is Vladimir’s voice sounding annoyed calling for a manager. But when he hears Wesley sounding tired and voice strained asking for Wilson to please come to the front he thinks something may be up and can’t help but feel uncomfortable.

~oOo~

The two managers and one assistant manager are all sitting up in Wilson’s office doing their required paperwork. Vladimir groaning that he would rather be in Siberia than doing this. Wilson and Wesley both choose to ignore him.

So when Marci calls for a manager to come to register seven for a code one, Vladimir quickly jumps up and runs down the stairs to get away from the paperwork. Only to have a lady yell at him for ‘putting a poor blind boy in the frameshop around all of that glass’.

“You should be fired!” She yells, far too close to his face. She doesn’t even take note of how the Russian is glaring daggers at her.

“I did not put Matvey back there, actually, and I think he does fine job,” Vladimir almost spits back, eyes narrowed as she continues her complaints. He ignores as Marci and Karen giggle at him saying Matt does a fine job in the frameshop.

“I want to speak to the man who put that boy back there then!” The woman yells loudly, gaining some attention from surrounding customers.

So Vladimir just scoffs and picks up the phone and a few moments later Wesley is making his way to them. Only to twitch slightly as the woman yells at him much like how she just had to Vladimir. And when Wesley doesn’t give her the response she wants, she yells to speak to his boss as well.

Wilson just tells her, “I will handle it immediately then, ma’am,” and ignores both Wesley’s surprised look and Vladimir’s appalled gasp. Just turns and walks towards the back with the other two men following behind.

The woman gave a pleased nod and turned to leave the store.

“You can’t fire Matvey!” Vladimir stated in annoyance, glaring at the larger man’s back.

“As much as it physically pains me to agree with the Russian I do,” Wesley says simply, trailing behind Vladimir.

Fisk just scoffed. “Please. I am not firing Mr. Murdock.”

By the time they’re coming up to the frameshop and Fisk wastes no time, just dings the bell three times and waits patiently for Matt to come to the counter. The teenager seems to sense that it’s them, really he just recognizes Vladimir’s cologne and the smell of vodka from the Russian’s ‘liquid lunch’,  and he looks absolutely pathetic.

“Is this about the lady who doesn’t want me to work in the frameshop because she thinks it’s dangerous?” Matt asks quietly.

For a moment none of the older men can say anything, too surprised that Matt looks like a puppy that’s been kicked and left out in the rain.

Vladimir is the first to jump out of his stupor, he leans forward and yanks Matt closer so that he can squeeze the younger man’s cheeks until Matt is making a fish face. “We cannot fire him!”

“Fire me?!” Matt yelps, or tries to. The words come out slightly muffled from how Vladimir is holding his face.

“Just look at him!” Vladimir continues, not even noticing how Matt was trying to speak up. “He makes cutest fish face! Right after Vasya, no offence.”

“None taken?” Comes the muffled response. Slowly Matt shakes Vladimir off of him. “Please don’t fire me. You can’t just fire me!”

“We know. I’m no-”

“I mean I just got really good with all of the equipment. And I’m not cutting myself as much,” Matt continues not giving any of the managers the time to speak up. “And I haven’t shot myself with the staple gun in months!”

“I still don’t see how you shot yourself in the leg with the staple gun in the first place to be honest,” Wesley stated dryly in an attempt to keep the amusement from his voice, eyebrow raised. “It makes a noise when it’s connected to the hose.”

Matt just rolls his eyes. “Everything makes a buzzing noise. All six of the hoses. The drymount machine. The mat cutter. The computer. All of it. I just wanted to test it to make sure it was actually on. I didn’t mean to shoot my leg!”

“Dear lord give me strength,” Fisk muttered under his breath with a shake of the head.

Vladimir frowned. “But you shot yourself just other day?”

Matt cradled his left hand to his chest and gave a pitiful look in the Russian’s general direction. “That was an accident. It kinda hurt actually.”

The Russian frowned at Fisk and Wesley. “We have to keep him here to protect him.”

Wesley scoffed. “He did shoot Scott a month ago.”

“That was an accident! I don’t even know how that happened,” Matt tried to defend himself, eyes wide in almost panic.

Fisk rolled his eyes. “For some reason I don’t believe you.”

“No seriously. The one time I actually managed to hurt him it was an accident. Where is the fairness in that bull?” Matt huffed out.

Fisk just sighed. “I’m not firing you, Matthew.” Matt wrinkled his nose in distaste as the larger man used his full name. “I was just going to ask if you wanted to be moved from the frameshop to the floor?”

Vladimir frowned. “Move him away from art? And framing?”

Wesley seemed to perk up at Vladimir’s tone. “It will give me unlimited joy to move you somewhere else far away from Vladimir.”

Both Vladimir and Matt scowled at him, not noticing as the other glared.

“Thanks, but I think I’m good. Again, I just got really good with a lot of this stuff. I’m not almost dying every day. I think I’m fine.”

“ _ You’re damn fine _ !” Vladimir said a bit too enthusiastically in his native tongue.

Wesley scowled at him, understanding the foreign words. While Fisk and Mat just frowned, not understanding the Russian language.

“I keep telling you this, but I don’t speak Russian, asshole.”

“ _ One day I teach you. _ ”

“Stop it.”


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kastle because I'm trash I'm sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During the Christmas season I had to get up on some of the ladders and I'm a huge wimp and start shaking on the second step. But I could so see Matt and Clint climbing the huge ass ten foot tall ladders effortlessly.

Karen liked most of her co-workers a lot. Marci was always a joy to work with, though slightly annoying. But it wasn’t like she had room to really say anything. Yelena was a doll, though very scary. Natasha was intimidating but a huge dork. And everyone was nice.

But Karen was rather fond of the new stockman Frank. Frank who came in bruised most days and who always looked ready for a fight. And she was beginning to think he may be as fond of her as she was of him.

“Okay,” she called from the top of the ladder, “do you need the colorful lights now or the white ones?”

The brunette, who was gripping the tall ladder so that it wouldn’t move an inch whenever Karen moved, took a quick look at the shelves before tossing back, “The color ones. These people are animals and demolished the shelves.”

He smiles softly when she gives a soft giggle back. His smile quickly turns into a frown when he takes notice of her slight shaking and ghostly white knuckles.

“You alright up there, Karen?”

She shakes her head, hair swishing as she moves jerkily, and slowly points over a few aisles. “Look at those two morons!” She says breathlessly, face slightly pale.

Frank frowns and hesitantly turns away from Karen. He doesn't feel comfortable turning away when she looks ready to throw up. Or worse, faint right off of the ladder. And promptly laughs as he sees Matt and Clint moving quickly and with ease on the tops of the tall ten foot ladders. 

“Wow,” Frank breathes out, shaking his head in amusement. He smirks slightly when he hears Vladimir yell out, “Matvey! Get down before you fall and die to death!”, his accent thicker than usual in worry for the blind teenager. Frank is willing to bet that the Russian is just as pale as Karen is and probably watching the auburn haired boy in weariness, not trusting for Matt to not fall.

Matt just rolls his eyes, not that anyone can tell, and continues climbing up the ladder to get to the tip tops of the shelves, ignoring as Vladimir mutters under his breath.

Frank turns his attention back to Karen and dutifully takes the basket full of lights from her. “Thank you, ma’am,” he says, moving so she can hop down the last two steps.

And really, it’s a miracle he doesn’t flush as bright a red as the lights when Karen just grins brightly up at him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this instance, I am Elektra. Lately a guy at work has been flirting a lot with me. Because he thinks I'm Chinese or Japanese.  
> I am neither. I am half Thai. What the fuck.

It’s getting close to lunch and Vladimir decides it may be best to head over to the frameshop since Matt is working and for the past few weeks they’ve been getting lunch together. Something that makes Vladimir happy until he sees everyone watching them leave and return. And he knows they’re all rushing off to adjust their bets and it makes him scowl slightly.

What he was not expecting when he gets to the frameshop is for a beautiful young woman, no older than Matt, to be standing at the counter looking completely bored while another customer flirts with her. Matt is standing beside her, eyebrow raised as he tightens the wire on the back of the frame, looking just as bored as the woman did.

“So are you like, Chinese?” The other customer asked, probably thinking he was being nice and not noticing as the woman narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

“Not at all,” comes the snappy reply. Vladimir half wonders what her accent is but then decides he doesn’t care when he notices Matt smirking at her.

It doesn’t make the young man stop. He instead continues to dig himself a grave. “You look so Chinese though.”

As soon as the words are out of his mouth the dark haired woman has snatched Matt’s X-acto knife from the counter and is holding it right under the customer’s chin, tip of the knife almost pressing into his throat.

“I will cut you,” she says lowly, eyes narrowed, “I will gut you like a fish. I will fuck. You. Up. Do you understand?”

Matt sighs and grabs a hold of her wrist and slowly tugs it away from the other man’s throat. “Sweetheart,” Matt coos out sarcastically, “this is why we never worked out.”

She just gave a scoff, nodding in delight when the man who had been bothering her takes this as his chance to run away. “I thought we didn’t work out because you were boring.” Matt just tsk-ed at her. “That and you don’t like prison.”

Vladimir raised an eyebrow at their exchange. “Matvey, you dated that?” He points to the woman. Who just raises an eyebrow right back at him.

Matt jumps slightly, having not heard Vladimir come up behind him, and turned so he could give Vladimir a dry look. “Oh honey. I almost married that.” Vladimir’s jaw dropped. Slowly Matt rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Did I never tell you how I almost got married?”

“Nyet! You forgot to mention that!” Vladimir snaps back, glaring at the grinning woman who was watching them in amusement. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Elektra,” comes the simple, drawled out response. Elektra grins as she watches them both. “Remind Matthew here to tell you how we almost got married after we come back from lunch.”

“Excuse me?” Vladimir spits out, looking at Matt in hopes that the teenager would tell her no. But he frowns when Matt just cocks his head to the side, expression completely confused.

Matt frowns at Elektra's direction. “We’re going to lunch?”

“We are now, Matthew,” Elektra says, looping her arm through Matt’s and tugging him away. “I have things to talk to you about!” She ignored as he said he had previous lunch plans.

Vladimir scowls and glares daggers at their retreating figures. He doesn’t hear as Elektra says, “You never mentioned your jealous boyfriend, Matthew!”

Foggy walks out of the frameshop just in time to witness Elektra physically dragging a resistant Matt away. The blonde frowns and shakes his head. “She is bad news.”

“You know her?” Vladimir huffs out. Foggy just shrugs which causes for Vladimir to turn his scowl to the blonde. “Misty-”

“Foggy.”

“-whatever the fuck your name is, Cloud Man! Tell me everything about her!”

Foggy just crosses his arms over his chest and hums in thought before giving a nod. “Okay, but in exchange for that, I want a bag of skittles from upstairs. Plus, I want to win the bet going around.”

“ _ Oh for the love of God!” _

“Do we have a deal?” Foggy asks brightly, ignoring the Russian that spilled from Vladimir.


	28. Chapter 28

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More kastle because I'm garbage. Slightly based off of the prompt 'image your otp where a works at a store as a cashier and writes their number on b's receipt.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry these have been so short!

By Frank’s third week, the small group of cashiers were beginning to place a second bet amongst themselves; who would ask who out first? Karen or Frank?

Marci was beginning to think Frank was working up the courage by the way he kept going only to Karen’s register to buy candy even though he could just call for a manager and get an additional fifteen percent off of the forty. But he always tells Karen, “I’m fine coming over here, ma’am.”

And really, that shouldn’t be as cute and sweet as it is. Him calling her ma’am. But Karen always just grins up at him and Frank’s ears always turn a light pink when she gives him that dopey happy grin. And really, that’s just too cute for words.

It’s the beginning of the week and twenty till closing when Frank makes his way over to stand in Karen’s line, an almond joy gripped in his hand.

Karen gives him an amused look as she rings him up. “You could just wait until the manager is calling for employee check out you know?”

She hands him the candy in exchange for the crumpled bills he hands over to her. And as expected he just shakes his head and states as simply as ever, “I’m just fine coming over here, ma’am.”

The blonde just hums softly and instead of handing him his receipts as she usually does she picks up a pen and writes on the thin paper. Then hands it along with his change over with a grin. “Have a nice night, Frank.”

It’s not until a few minutes later when Frank is sitting outside eating his candy and getting ready to throw his receipt away that he notices the note Karen had scribbled hastily onto the back. 

_ “Call me! Maybe we can get lunch sometime? I’m free this Saturday if you are!” _


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not 100% sure who to replace Scott with. I'm thinking either Jerri or Elektra. Jerri because then she, Foggy, and Matt can talk about law classes (with Marci joining them because I adore Marci). Or Elektra to just both Vladimir and get on Matt's nerves because I love Elektra with all my heart.
> 
> Also, cheese cube has become my favorite thing to call people? I keep calling my brother that. So of course I'm going to have Anatoly call Vladimir that because why not.

Matt was expecting to just come into work and for it to be the usual type of Thursday; busy and hectic but otherwise normal. Instead it is much more hectic and even though he came in two hours early like Clint asked him to, and even though Foggy and Clint both have been doing freight, nothing is done. Which makes him raise an eyebrow in surprise when he doesn’t hear Scott’s voice.

“Where’s Scott?”

“He didn’t show!” Clint snapped back, shoving a small box stuffed to the brim with styrofoam into the trash bag. “Fucker just quit and didn’t even show! Just sent me a text that said ‘take me off the schedule’ and didn’t show! Hence why I had to call you and Foggy in early!” The deaf teenager scowled as he took his annoyance out on another small cardboard box.

Matt frowned. “So Scott doesn’t work here anymore?”

Clint just snorted. “If he shows up, I’m putting an arrow in his knee. But no. Fisk and Wesley are already looking for a replacement and Christ on a stick-” he ignores the look of full disapproval that he receives from Matt in favor of cutting another box to shreds. “-I just hope they aren’t like Scott.”

Foggy scoffed and shook his head, tossing some of the small plastic bags into the trash bag. “I highly doubt that anyone is as incompetent as Scott at this job, honestly.”

Clint turned to give him a look, finger raised as if to argue, then sighed out, “You have a point.”

For a few moments the three continued working, it being much quieter without Scott constantly yelling. But finally Matt grinned brightly as the situation hit him.

“Guys.” The two blondes just gave low hums back. “Scott’s gone.”

“I know,” Clint sighed out. “Man, he left at such a shitty time too. You two are about to have finals. Christmas is just a few weeks away and we are slammed busy all the time. I don’t even want to think about what our frame manager is going to say.”

Matt just shook his head. “But you don’t understand. Scott is gone.”

While at the same time Foggy just huffed out a laugh and said simply, “Please. Madame Gao never even shows up. She cares less about this job than Vladimir does- you wipe that dopey grin off your face Matty- and I didn’t even think that was possible.”

The blind teenager gave a sigh. “But Scott is _gone_!”

Both of the blondes just gave him exasperated looks. “Is now really the time to be cheering about that?” Clint asked in mild annoyance, eyes rolling.

The auburn haired teenager just huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “But he’s gone. We can actually get work done. We don't have to change the schedule every day!”

Foggy frowned, nodding slowly. “He has a point. I don’t know about you, but I hate working on my Saturday off.”

“Tell me about it! I kept having to fill in for him!” Matt yelled, none of the teenagers noticing as they received odd looks from the few surrounding customers. “I got maybe one Saturday off a month! Maybe! And then he kept changing the schedule!”

Clint nodded slowly, not wanting to agree but agreeing that Scott was not exactly the best person to work with. “But I hope we get a good replacement.”

Both Matt and Foggy nodded in agreement.

“But,” Matt tossed a small cardboard box full of styrofoam to Foggy who tossed it into the trash bag, “Until then, I’m gonna go do a few cartwheels down the paint aisle because I’m just so fucking ecstatic that he’s gone.”

And with that said Matt moved from the framing counter down to the paint aisle where Claire was unboxing the new paint tubes.

She raised an eyebrow when she saw Matt coming towards her but decided to continue working in favor of helping him look for Vladimir like she assumed he was doing.

“Is there anyone down this aisle?” Matt asked instead when he came closer.

“Nope,” Claire said, popping the p, as she tossed some of the larger tubes into a buggy to her left. “Why?”

“How many cartwheels do you think I can do down it?”

A moment’s hesitation before she gave a simple answer of, “Three.”

Matt just nodded and took a few steps back before taking a quick dash down the aisle where he did two cartwheels and threw in a backflip, more for fun than anything. Claire gave an amused eyeroll.

“Was the backflip necessary?”

“Not at all,” came Matt’s simple response, a lazy grin on his face as he cartwheeled back to stand beside Claire.

Neither noticed when Vladimir walked past, eyebrow raised as he watched Matt do the last of his cartwheels. “I wish I had half as much energy as he does the Russian muttered before walking away.

~oOo~

It’s much later, nearly closing time actually, when Anatoly makes his way over to the canvas aisle to stand beside his younger brother.

“ _So_ ,” the elder Russian begins slowly in their native tongue, handing the blonde one of the many eight by ten canvas, “ _do you think it’s possible for you to let us out of here by ten_?”

Vladimir paused and turned to raise an eyebrow at his brother. “ _It’s my goal. Why?_ ”

Anatoly just gave a shrug and fixed the paintbrushes. “ _I have plans for later tonight._ ”

“ _What plans?_ ” The younger asked, eyes narrowing slightly when his brother just shot him back a smirk. “ _Tolya, what plans do you have?_ ”

“ _None of your business you cheese cube_ ,” the brunette said, handing over another small canvas before moving away. “ _Just remember, we need to leave no later than ten!_ ”

Vladimir frowned as he noticed his brother leaving him and he still had a buggy full of new canvases. “ _Wait! Aren’t you going to finish helping me?_ ”

“ _Hahaha! No! Fuck you, you’re on your own bitch!_ ” Came Anatoly’s laughed out response as he turned away. He just smirked as Vladimir gave a shout back of, “ _You are the worst brother!_ ”


	30. Chapter 30

All Matt heard was a high pitched yell of, “Matvey!”, before a solid weight was slamming into his legs, nearly knocking him over. Without even thinking he placed one hand out on the counter to steady himself and his free hand on the little girl’s shoulder to keep her from falling back.

“Woah!” He yelped softly, eyes wide behind his deep red lenses. Then he gave a warm grin down to the little girl who was beaming up at him as if he’d hung the stars. “Heya, Vasi. What’re you doing here? Is Vla- your papa with you?” The auburn haired teenager tilted his head slightly, hoping to maybe hear the Russian huffing out a small laugh but was disappointed when the three year old just shook her head.

“Nyet! I came with Mommy today!” Vasilisa said happily, tugging lightly on Matt’s hands. “Up?” 

Matt rolled his eyes good naturedly and lifted her up so she could wrap her arms around his neck. “So what are you and your mommy doing here today? Your Papa isn’t working.”

He frowned slightly when he heard a woman laugh from the other side of the cabinet. “Vasya wanted to see you. We thought we would surprise you with lunch. If you’d like?” The Russian woman offered, accent not as thick as Vladimir’s but still more prominent than Natasha’s.

Matt slowly shrugged, confusion painting his face. “Sure. I’m always a slut for free food. Let me tell Clint and Foggy I’m going on my break.”

Vasilisa scrunches her nose up at the new word but decides not to say anything in favor of giggling when Matt moves back into the frameshop. Another 15 minutes later and the trio are sitting at a round table in the small restaurant.

Matt jumps slightly in his seat when Vasilisa smashes her fist onto her chips bag to open it.

“Vasilisa!” Tatyana immediately reprimands, cleaning the few crushed chips that flew out of the bag. “Why on earth would you do that?”

“That’s how Papa opens the bag for me!”

Matt choked back a laugh and quickly turned to stare down at his food.

The woman just rolled her eyes at her daughter. “Well your papa is an idiot.”

“I know that,” is the simple response. Matt imagines the three year old is rolling her eyes.

Matt shakes his head, hopes that his grin isn’t showing, and gives a simple statement of, “This child is brutal.”

A scoff from the brunette woman. “You have no idea. Now,” she pushes forward with the conversation, deciding to waste no more time and get right to why she really wanted to take him to lunch. “I have a bet going with Anatoly. Much like the bet that is going around your store.”

The auburn haired teenager frowned at her, brows furrowing in confusion. “There’s a bet going around the store?”

“Don’t play coy with me.” Matt holds his hands up in surrender, expression still completely confused and she half wonders if he really has no idea about the bet going around the store. “You see, Anatoly and I have had this bet since around August. About who will ask who out first; you or Vladimir-”

“What? Ow!” Matt rubs his arm where she’d smacked him.

“Don’t interrupt me.”

The teenager nods quickly. “Yes, ma’am?”

“Currently, Vasya, ptichka, don’t play with your food, I am losing the bet. I bet that you would ask Vova out before November ends. And November ends in less than a week.” Matt flushes a light pink. “So you can tell where I am having my problem. So, my question to you Matvey is what do I have to do to make you let me win this bet?”

“Uhh…”

“Because I will not lose a bet to Anatoly. And honestly if Anatoly and I have to listen to Vladimir coo about how cute you are,” she ignores as Matt gives a dopey grin, “I will kill him myself.”

Matt slowly nods, taking a small bite from his sandwich. “Vladimir coos about me?”

“Constantly,” comes the very dry remark.

“He likes your butt!” Vasilisa pipes up, tearing her sandwich in half and then those  halves into a smaller bite sized sizes. “He says it’s fancy.”

Matt just bites his lower lip to keep from laughing. While Tatyana sighs out, “Ptichka, remind me to talk to your papa about things that are acceptable and not acceptable to say in front of children.”

“Okay, Mommy!"

“Mama.”

“Mommy!”

Matt couldn’t hold back his amused laugh by this point. “Does he say anything else?”

Vasilisa nods enthusiastically. “Da! He likes your hair! And he says your mouth is pretty and he thinks it’d look really good around-” Tatyana claps a hand over her daughter’s mouth, eye twitching slightly.

“I am having a long talk with your papa,” she mutters darkly. For a moment Matt is worried for Vladimir’s safety but quickly brushes the mild worry away in favor of being appalled that he would say that in front of a three year old. Vasilisa’s response is muffled.

Slowly Matt nods in agreement. “Okay. I wasn’t sure if he actually liked me or not. I can call in what I want for letting you win the bet later?”

“Da,” Tatyana grins brightly.

Matt shrugs. He wanted to ask Vladimir out anyway and now that he knew for sure that Vladimir did in fact like him, he may as well go on ahead. He'd just ask Tatyana to pay for his first date with Vladimir. Probably. “Consider it done then.”

~oOo~

Two days later Matt is trying to rearrange the counter back to PPM code when Vladimir comes over, eyebrow raised, and arms crossed.

“Matvey,” Matt just hums in acknowledgement with his cheeks a light barely noticeable pink. “Why does my daughter say you are a slut for food?”

“Why does she say my butt is fancy?” Matt says before he can think of a better response. Vladimir just splutters, eyes wide. The teenager gave a nonchalant shrug. “Honestly, your child is a gift. Is it wrong to say I want one?”


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> During December I had some annoying customers. How I dealt with my annoyance was taking two sheets of the thirty-two by forty glass that probably weighs more than me and threw them to the floor. Then swept it up to throw into the garbage can and broke it down further with a hammer. Sometimes I still do at closing because god does it help. I mean, you get tiny cuts from the glass flying everywhere but...   
> Anyway. I did that once in December and my manager thought I had fallen and died and came running to the frameshop to make sure I didn't die. And I just told him "I think I'm ready to quit because people piss me off." And he just sighed and goes "Me too. Smoke weed. It helps." And he left.   
> Recently he got fired.

Another day passes and it’s been four days since Matt had had lunch with Tatyana and Vasilisa and he is still thinking over everything that had been said. When he’d asked her about the bet going around the store she had just shrugged before saying apologetically, “Tolya hasn’t said much about it honestly.”

Which was fine by him. He was more curious about it than anything. And so because of the bet he hadn’t told Foggy about his plans on asking Vladimir out. He was curious to see if Foggy had participated in the bet and if so who had he bet on.

The teenager is so lost in thought that he doesn’t notice when Vladimir storms into the frameshop and tugs some of the cheaper but larger glass, the thirty-six by forty-two, out from under the back counter. He does notice when he hears a very loud crashing sound.

“Vladimir, what the hell?” Matt breathes out, eyes wide as he listens to the Russian mutter under his breath in his native language.

The blonde spared him a glance but quickly turned to glare at the entrance of the frameshop where he had been helping a particularly annoying lady. “I clean this,” he points down to the mountain of glass, “in five minutes.”

Matt slowly gave a thumbs up, brows furrowed in confusion. He raised an eyebrow when Vladimir left and all he could hear was a lady complaining about everything and Vladimir grunting in reply.

“Look, I am not allowed to give any discounts,” Vladimir states slowly as if thinking the woman stupid. Which in his defense he had told her this five times already. “It is already fifty percent off.”

“But the frames are scratched!” The lady yelled, shoving the frames over to the Russian. She gave a huff when he just rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.

“Da. That means yes.” Matt choked back a laugh as he heard Vladimir speak slowly. The woman must know by now that the Russian thinks her incompetent. “They come off of truck like that. If you want good frame with good quality talk to the custom framers, sutka.”

Matt made a mental note to himself to ask Anatoly what that word had meant. The lady knew it was an insult with the way it had been said to her but obviously didn’t know what it meant. And she could tell that she wasn’t going to be getting her way so she picked up the frames and gave one final huff of annoyance before dropping them into her buggy and storming off in a fit.

Vladimir just rolled his eyes as he watched her make her way to the registers; honestly he didn’t get paid enough for this. Still feeling dissatisfied he yanks on Matt’s glass gloves and pulls out another large sheet of the thirty-two by forty glass and pushes it so that it lands on the pile of broken glass and shatters.

The loud sound makes Matt wince slightly, brows furrowing in confusion. Vladimir just mutters under his breath as he begins to sweep up the broken glass.

“Fucking hate people. They get so demanding the closer it gets to this stupid holiday. Should just kill them all,” Vladimir snaps out, glaring at the broken glass as if it had personally offended him.

Matt just nodded in complete understanding. “Same.”

If Vladimir had been looking at Matt he would have seen how the teenager shuffled awkwardly in spot and was very obviously trying to gather courage to ask him something. But as it were Vladimir was too occupied with the glass and right as Matt was opening his mouth Anatoly came into the frameshop.

“So-”

“Why is there so much glass?” Anatoly interrupted, watching as Vladimir scowled when some of the glass fell from the dustpan.

The blonde just picked up a rather large shard of glass and held it up threateningly. “I will cut someone by the end of my shift if people don’t stop being annoying.”

“Okay, da, that is fair,” Anatoly said simply, shrugging in agreement.

Matt just sighed internally. ‘ _ Damn it all.’ _


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So. For this one, I'm Vladimir. Which is actually pretty embarrassing to say but it makes for a funny story.   
> So quick backstory thing of sorts, when this happened last year (oh my god it's been so long since I've updated end me) I was at finals. And working about 30 or so hours every week (I'm back to doing this right now actually fuuu). So that left me with very little sleep. So I get to work. And no one tells me what happens when we turn the air compressor off this new way. And me being stressed to the max and since I hadn't slept in about three and a half days, screamed bloody murder and burst into tears.   
> The only good thing about this is that the air compressor being turned off like this has also made other co workers scream. Because this thing sounds like an atomic bomb going off.

“Oh good, you’re here,” Clint said as soon as Matt came up to the counter. “We’re having our frameshop meeting today apparently.”

Matt wrinkled his nose before asking in a confused tone, “We have those?”

Clint just shrugged. “Apparently. Gao is even here.” Matt let out a surprised noise, eyes wide. “I know right?! And apparently Vladimir isn’t exempt from it.”

They make their way into the frameshop and Clint can’t help but sigh as he sees all of the frames that need to have the glass replaced. He half wonders if any of the frames can be ‘accidentally’ broken before switching his attention to the four people in the frameshop.

The meeting is by all intents and purposes boring and a huge waste of time. They get the new rules to follow. Vladimir blurting out in the middle of the meeting, “But why am I even here?”

To which Gao responds with a simple, “ _ Since you used to be back here and we may need you to fill in one day. Especially with Scott gone. _ ” In Chinese. 

Which only frustrates Vladimir even more but he drops the subject as Matt gives him a comforting pat on the arm. 

And the meeting continues. Clint praises Foggy for having the best customer service skill out of all of them. Which, to be honest, is not much of a surprise. Foggy radiates kindness to the extreme. Matt grins a bit to himself as he mentally calls Foggy a human ray of sunshine.

“And finally,” Clint says, reading over the paper. He raises an eyebrow at the new instructions. “Apparently when we turn off the air compressor we are supposed to flip the switch and pull the little-”

“No!” Vladimir interrupts loudly, face pale as he momentarily has flashbacks to when he worked in the frameshop. “Why?!”

Matt and Foggy leaned away as the blonde man began to yell furiously in Russian. Clint just winced slightly as he understood half of what Vladimir was saying, all thanks to him being friends with Natasha. But finally Vladimir settled back down and said simply, “What poor bastard has to turn off that damned thing?”

Slowly Clint and Foggy shared a look and even slower still they pointed to Matt. Matt just timidly raised his hand. 

“Why am I a poor bastard?” The auburn haired man asked. 

Vladimir just gave him a look full of pity. “You will find out later.”

And then the Russian left, scowling as he did so, not hearing or just flat out not hearing as Clint yelled to him, "You have to help Matt turn off the air compressor tonight, Ranskahov! I'm off the clock in an hour!" 

For the rest of the night Matt was worried about closing and what would happen. 

The rest of the night passes by relatively quickly. Matt curses internally as Clint yells that he’s leaving and Foggy calling out to Matt, “I’ll see you later! Have fun!” Come nine o’clock Matt is standing in the fixture room with Vladimir. 

Vladimir crossed his arms as he stared down at Matt and Matt just kept his hands in his pockets and kept silent. 

“So uh…” Matt trailed off. 

Vladimir nodded then closed his eyes as he realized Matt couldn’t see him. “Da…” A moment of silence as Vladimir tries to think of how best to stall along with how to ask Matt on a date. 

But Matt quickly cuts his train of thought off with a, “So, are you doi-”

Vladimir doesn’t notice that Matt is trying to ask him out instead and sighs before glaring at the air compressor, thinking that Matt is asking how do they turn the thing off. “Da. Let’s do this. Come on,” he took Matt’s wrist in hand and led him to the corner. “This,” he places his hand at the top, “is the worst thing I have ever faced.” 

Matt lets Vladimir place his hand on a little tiny switch. 

“Just flick that little bastard down." Matt does as told and the room fell silent. "Then,” he led Matt’s hand to let his finger rest on a cold small ring. “You pull this out and-” Matt didn't let Vladimir finish talking, just did as told once more, half expecting for the air compressor to blow up with the way that Vladimir was acting but all it did was shut down with a loud ‘woosh’ing of air and the fixture room was dead silent. 

Matt couldn’t help but note that the room smelled horribly of dust. 

The loudest part had actually been Vladimir letting out a shrill scream. Then crying as the room fell into silence. And for a moment, Matt wasn’t sure how to react. 

Finally, he settled on asking very softly, “Are… are you okay?” 

He expected a rational response. But did not receive it.

“Nyet! I am not okay! I fucking hate this job! This,” Vladimir gestures to the air compressor, “is the number one reason why I fucking hated being in the damn frame shop! I hate this bitch! I want to die!” He storms out of the fixture room, swearing loudly in Russian as he stomps away. 

Matt just blinks rapidly, still unsure about what just happened. “I… am so confused.”


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This lady is based on two customers, one my bestie had to deal with and another that another coworker had to deal with yesterday. My bestie is Yelena for this.

"That's on sale."

Yelena twitched but forced a smile colder than Siberia onto her face. "Yes, ma'am."

She picked up a flower and went to tap on her screen but twitched as the woman said the usual, "That is too!"

Yelena bit back her scowl.

"And that! That's on sale! And don't group those flowers like that! I can't tell if you're doing it right!" The woman snapped as she watched Yelena group certain Christmas flowers together.

The blonde girl froze, inhaled and held her breath for a few moments before exhaling and saying in Russian, _"Bitch I am going to cut you. If you can't tell that these flowers are one ninety-nine originally, half off they are only ninety-nine cents, and if you have four that will make your total for these almost four fucking dollars I think you're a fucking idiot."_

Natasha snickered from her register right behind Yelena.

But the customer didn't even falter just huffed and rolled her eyes. "Well? Get rid of that and start over so that I can tell if you're doing this correctly!"

Instead of arguing with the woman, Yelena did as told and called for her CSM to come void the sale. And re-started the whole thing, this time making sure to take her sweet time.

_"Aren't you going to move quicker? I know you can,"_ Natasha said, leaning over slightly to watch the blonde.

But Yelena just shook her head. _"Nope. If she's going to waste my time then I will waste hers as well."_

The customer didn't find them speaking Russian as amusing as they obviously did and snapped out, "That's on sale! Don't forget that that is on sale! I will call your manager if you mess up my order!"

_"Jesus Crist please shut the hell up you demon hag,"_ Yelena muttered under her breath, smirking slightly when she heard Natasha snicker again.

The woman holding up Yelena's line didn't find this amusing. "And don't you dare forget that that candy is on sale!"

Yelena nodded. _"You know what else is on sale, bitch? My fist flying into your pasty face."_

Natasha reached over and gently tapped Yelena on the shoulder. _"Lena, darling, play nice,"_ she chided jokingly, smirking as the woman glared between the two.

Yelan rolled her eyes and continued ringing the woman up. _"I just want to fight this woman. I'm going to fight her in the parking lot."_

Natasha rolled her eyes but laughed softly. _"You need this job more than you need to beat this woman's sorry ass."_

_"Do I though, Natalia? Do I?"_ Yelena muttered.

The woman huffed and glared and was not pleased with the girls speaking in Russian, that much was very obvious. So really it was no shock to either cashier when once Yelena was through ringing her up, she huffed once more and yelled, "I want to speak to your manager!"

Both girls slowly shared a look, both trying not to smirk.

And slowly Yelena reached under her register for the phone. _"Which manager is on duty?"_

Natasha shrugged nonchalantly. _"Fisk and Wesley left for the day. So this situation is about to get worse or fucking hilarious."_

Yelena smirked in something Natasha could only think to call evil glee and she'd be a liar if she said that it wasn't hot.

"Manager to register three. Manager to register three."

As they waited for Vladimir to show up, the woman angrily drummed her fingers against the counter top.

The moment Natasha saw Vladimir walking up she leaned over and pointed with her thumb over her shoulder to the woman and said, _"So this bitch-"_

She was quickly cut off by Vladimir holding his hand up.

The woman smirked, thinking that Vladimir was the manager and was taking her side. She was sorely disappointed and rightfully confused when instead he reached into his apron pocket and pulled out a bag of cookies.

Vladimir raised an eyebrow as Natasha and Yelena stared at him. " _What_?" The woman frowned, brows furrowing in confusion as he spoke Russian as well. _"Any story that begins like that means you need snacks for that entertainment."_

Yelena snickered while Natasha just shrugged and continued speaking.

_"So this bitch is pissed because we're speaking Russian."_

Vladimir let out a loud laugh. _"Ha! Ha! That's great. She thinks I'm going to care?"_ He looked at her and shook his head. " _Bitch, please. Good bye."_ And with that said, he turned sharply to walk back to the frameshop, flipping Yelena off as she yelled to him, _"Ask Matt out already, you whore!"_

The blonde snickered as she was flipped off but quickly turned her attention back to the now fuming woman. "Is there anything else I can do for you ma'am?" She asked in English. " _Perhaps give you this free can of whoop ass?"_ She finished in Russian.

The customer just let out an aggravated noise, grabbed the last of her bags, and stormed away ignoring as Natasha and Yelena snickered to themselves.


End file.
